In outlining his goals for the city, Layne Long - he was Springville's city manager for five years and has 19 years of experience - said he is committed to building the best municipal work force. His goals: making the city run effectively and efficiently, and improving the quality of services to residents.

"This is a great opportunity to work for the mayor, City Council, residents and businesses of Draper," Long said in a news release. "I look forward to the challenges of balancing the growth of this community, while still maintaining the historical value."

Before working in Springville, Long was an assistant to the city manager of Los Altos, Calif., and graduated from BYU's master's of public administration program.

Mayor Darrell Smith said Long's experience will benefit the community. Councilman Bill Colbert said there was a lot of interest in the position, but the city is happy with its decision.

Long enters Draper amid big changes, including the opening of the first intermountain IKEA furniture store, scheduled for May, and plans for Corner Canyon open space just east of the Draper LDS Temple currently under construction.

Long will start the job in the first week of April. sgehrke@sltrib.com