CITY OF AURORA

Agency History #71

CREATION

The Town of Aurora was incorporated in 1914, in order to provide a general purpose government for the community (Aurora, City Council Minutes, 29 Apr 1914; Utah League of Cities and Counties, 1993 Directory of Local Government Officials, 19).

FUNCTIONS

Municipalities are general purpose governments, with broad authority for the health, safety, and welfare of their residents. This includes providing for police and fire protection, administration of justice through Justice Courts, provision of public works such as roads and water systems, establishment and enforcement of licensing requirements, and the establishment of building codes.

ADMINISTRATION

Municipalities in Utah are organized under the authority of Title 10, Chapter 3, Utah Code, and Article XI, Section 5, of the Utah State Constitution. Municipalities operate as political subdivisions of the state and, as such, are subordinate to the state. The rules for the creation, classification, and administration of municipalities are established by general laws (Utah Constitution, Art. XI, Sec. 5) passed by the State Legislature.

When organized in 1914, the Town of Aurora was governed by a Town Board, consisting of four members, and a Town President (Minutes, 29 Apr 1914). In January of 1982, the Town was reclassified as a city of the third class. With this reclassification, the governing structure of Aurora changed. The new governmental structure consists of a mayor and five city council members (Minutes, Jan 1982).

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The first meeting of the Town Board took place on 29 April 1914. Within a few weeks, Aurora established the appointed offices of Town Marshall, Town Attorney, Town Clerk, and Town Treasurer (Minutes, 1914). In 1993, the following municipal offices existed in Aurora: Attorney, Treasurer, Recorder, Building Inspector, Fire Chief, Justice of the Peace, and Maintenance Supervisor (Utah League of Cities and Counties, 19).

PRESIDENTS OF THE TOWN BOARD

Abraham Shaw, 1914-1918

W. R. Johnson, 1918-1920

William Sorensen, 1920-1922

Edwin Sorensen, 1922-1926

W. R. Johnson, 1926-1928

Wilford I. Jensen, 1928-1930

Cline Sorensen, 1930-1932

Frank Harwood, 1932-1934

W. Lloyd Johnson, 1934-1936

Quay Ivie, 1936-1940

William Sorensen, 1940-1944

Sammie Crowther, 1944-1946

Orvil Andrews, 1946-1950

Floyd Johnson, 1950-1958

T. Earl Kennedy, 1958-1962

Joseph Curtis, 1962-1966

Don Huntsman, 1966-1970

Dan Thompson, 1970-1978

Marvin Mason, 1978-1982

MAYORS OF AURORA

Larry Crosby, 1982 - ?

Municipal officers' names extracted from the City Council Minutes, 1914-1989, series 9587.

COMPILED BY: Paul G. C. Smith, November 1995