One of the key people involved in the creation of Taylorsville City back in 1996 still calls the city home and stays busy. But she’s not much involved in government anymore.

Just as John Adams was one of the founders of our country—and our second president—Janice Auger, 76, was a Taylorsville founder and the city’s second mayor.

“That was a busy time,” she said. “After we incorporated, I was one of 68 candidates for city council and received the third-most votes. Two years later I ran against the incumbent mayor (LaVelle Prince) and won.”

She held the post for two terms, from 1998 to 2006.

Soon after leaving office, Auger lost her second husband. Now remarried, she is Janice Rasmussen. However, because she was known as “Mayor Auger,” that’s how she is being referred to here. 

Auger recently made her first appearance at a Taylorsville City Council meeting in several months—at the invitation of Councilwoman Dama Barbour—to offer the body’s moment of reverence, a traditional part of each meeting’s opening ceremony.

“Basically, my message to the council was, they are doing important work for the people and deserve to be blessed for all they do,” she said.

“Janice is a dear friend of mine,” said Barbour. “It was my pleasure to ask her to address the council. I don’t think there would be a Taylorsville City without all of her hard work.”

Auger said she does occasionally still attend city council meetings “if there’s a particular issue I’m interested in. But, for the most part, I’m just too busy. I may have left (the Taylorsville mayoral post), but I certainly haven’t retired.” 

First and foremost, Auger says it’s a juggling act just to keep up with all her family.

“I’ve been married three times,” she said. “Between kids and grandkids, step-children, step-grandchildren and 48 great grandkids and others, there are a total of 122 family members. We hold three different Christmas parties each year, just to include everyone.”

But in addition to all her family obligations, the former mayor also juggles a part-time job at the business she owns with her son, along with an LDS church service mission.

And then there’s her home garden.

“I grow 53 different kinds of plants,” Auger said. And don’t think you’re leaving her home without a plastic sack full of tomatoes, zucchini or cucumbers. 

Perfect Register is the company Auger started with her son, Devin Duckett. Ironically, as if she weren’t busy enough founding Taylorsville City, Perfect Register also got its start in that same year, 1996.

“Almost no one has heard of our business, but nearly everyone here in Utah has seen what we do,” Auger said. “We don’t actually print materials. We do finish work on things that have already been printed.”

Much of this includes adding foil accenting to everything from candy bar wrappers to wedding invitations.

The business housed on Salt Lake City’s west side employs about 30 people. Their large warehouse and shop is home to more than $4 million worth of specialized equipment.

“I work about 12 hours a week, handling payroll, taxes, insurance, bills and other things,” Auger said. 

 When she’s not bookkeeping at Perfect Register, Auger and her husband of seven years, Ken Rasmussen, volunteer at a book scanning center for their church mission.

“We assist in scanning information from historical books to be stored on the internet ‘cloud,’” she said. “It’s all intended to assist people as they do genealogy research.”

Auger said perhaps the most interesting book she has reviewed contained very detailed information about the “real” Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family.

“It mentioned so many of the ‘Little House on the Prairie’ characters,” Auger said. “But it also had pictures, and none of them looked like Michael Landon or Melissa Gilbert.” 

Auger and her husband began their service mission just over a year ago, volunteering on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Among those they volunteer with are Frank and Betty Young of Taylorsville who simply say “Janice is a great volunteer. We hope they re-up for another year.”

At this point, Auger isn’t sure what’s around the next corner.

“Besides keeping up with my family, business, mission work and gardening, I also like to travel,” she said. “I’ve already visited 46 states, about 15 countries, seven Caribbean islands and cruised through the Panama Canal. So who knows what’s next.” 

So don’t be surprised to not see former Mayor Janice Auger at many future council meetings. Your best bet may be to drop by her Taylorsville home next summer with an empty plastic grocery bag.