At today’s Council and RDA Meetings:

• the Council adopted a joint ceremonial resolution with the Mayor designating Salt Lake City as a Utah HERitage City, as part of the Better Days 2020 events honoring the 150th anniversary of Utah women being the first in the nation to vote under an equal suffrage law. 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which extended voting rights to women citizens throughout the United States.
  
  
• the Council held its first of two public hearings on the proposed budget for Salt Lake City for Fiscal Year 2020-21. The next public hearing will be held June 2 at 7 p.m. 
  
  
• the Council received an update from the Mayor and Administrative staff about Salt Lake City remaining designated as moderate health risk status (orange) while the majority of the state shifted to low health risk status (yellow), as part of Governor Herbert’s Utah Leads Together 2.0 plan. Discussion focused on City leaders and businesses gathering information to share local and national best practices for operating in the yellow phase or the “new normal” when the City shifts. Council Members also asked the Administration about plans for multiple “open streets” around the City which have been opened for pedestrian and recreational access, while closed to local traffic only, to help residents maintain social distancing practices. The Administration indicated they will continue to increase outreach and signage on these streets that are open to pedestrians and bicyclists, and evaluate which streets may change sooner than others when the City transitions from orange to yellow. 
  
  
• the Council received a presentation of the Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) Department proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2020-21. The department includes the Housing and Neighborhood Development, Transportation, Engineering, Building Services, Planning, Capital Asset and Real Estate Services Divisions. CAN impacts many of the long-term Council priorities, including affordable housing, homelessness, transit, street maintenance, and the Northwest Quadrant Discussion included options for housing support during the economic downturn, how potential increases in numbers of people experiencing homelessness may be addressed, and proposed transportation projects.
  
  
• the Council received a presentation of the Salt Lake City Police Department’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2020-21. The Police Department budget includes funding for officers, equipment, and civilian employees like social workers, data analysts, and crime lab technicians. Discussion included an update on creating a bike squad of officers focused on City parks, next generation of body worn cameras, changes in crime reports during the pandemic, costs to maintain the fleet of police officers, and an update on testing sexual assault evidence kits among other topics.
  
  
• the Board received a general overview of the proposed budget for the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City for Fiscal Year 2020-21. The Department highlighted some of their key accomplishments of the previous year, which included leveraging $26 million in RDA dollars and $231 million in private dollars to build over 800 housing units (490 affordable). The Board also heard some highlights of the proposed budget for the coming year, such as:
  • transfers 12 staff from the Department of Public Services to the RDA; 
  • continues the paradigm established by the Council last year as it relates to streamlining affordable housing development under the RDA, and affordable housing programs under the Housing and Neighborhood Development Division (HAND);
  • adds funding to jump-start recently created project areas around State Street and the 9-Line; and
  • continues funding for various initiatives started in previous years including Gallivan repairs, Japantown placemaking process, and Station Center redevelopment.
    
    
• the Board held its first public hearing on the proposed RDA budget for the upcoming fiscal year and will hold its second public hearing on Tuesday, June 2 at 7 p.m. The Board may convene again to discuss follow-up items at a later date, and will deliberate over the next several weeks. They expect to adopt the budget in mid-June.
  
  

Stay up to date on the City’s budget process, information, and ways to provide public comment and submit feedback here.

All agenda-related comments received through any source are shared with the Council and added to the Council public meeting record.

Visit the Council’s agenda page for meeting documents and video or view an archive of prior meeting recaps.