Salt Lake City

SLC.gov

Federal worker emergency loan program considered by Salt Lake City Council

Tonight, the Salt Lake City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed emergency loan program for federal workers who experience economic hardship due to a Federal Government shutdown.

The proposed loan program was created by the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, and the City’s Finance Department during the last shutdown, which lasted an historic 35 days.

During the last shutdown, TSA, FAA, and Customs and Border Patrol employees at the Salt Lake City International Airport were ordered to work without pay. Forest Service employees working in the City’s watershed areas were furloughed, requiring employees of Salt Lake City’s Department of Public Utilities to provide necessary maintenance of bathrooms in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon.

The proposed loan program would allocate $100,000 from the City’s General Fund to provide one-time, no interest loans, up to $1,500 for eligible applicants during a shutdown. The loans would be available to federal employees who are members of households at or below 100% of Area Median Income (AMI), who live or work in Salt Lake City OR work at Salt Lake City International Airport, South Valley Regional Airport, or Tooele Valley Airport.

“It was heartbreaking last month to see federal workers suffer because of dysfunction within the Federal government,” said Mayor Jackie Biskupski. “We want to ensure that in the event of a future shutdown, the employees we rely on here in Salt Lake City are provided with some relief and support.”

Lawmakers in Washington are currently negotiating a deal to fund the Federal government beyond February 15th. It is estimated that $9.5 billion of federal compensation was delayed during the last shut down.

The Salt Lake City Council formal meeting will be held at the City and County Building at 6:00pm

Share "Federal worker emergency loan program considered by Salt Lake City Council" to your social network: