Today, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall released the Salt Lake City Annual Progress Report Card. This document is a first in the City’s history and accounts for the status of the Mayor’s 2020 city goals.

“Transparency in government must bring not only public commitments to goals, but public accountability for the results. It’s important for me as a leader to give the people I represent a clear account of what we accomplished, what we were unable to do in 2020, and what we’re working on going forward,” Mayor Mendenhall said. 

The report accounts for the goals the Mayor set in January 2020 for her first 100 days and first year in office. They do not reflect all the work done by Salt Lake City through the year, including response to the many unplanned events. 

Three overarching objectives have guided the work of the Mayor’s administration – prioritizing growth that equitably benefits all city residents, making Salt Lake City more environmentally resilient and sustainable, and bolstering communities with inclusive and equitable opportunities for all.

Each goal was given a red, yellow, or green assessment, based on completion, in-process, or incomplete status of the work. “While 2020 presented many challenges and detours from the work we set out to do at the beginning of the year, I think it’s remarkable that the majority of our commitments were completed or are on the path to completion. So much good was accomplished by the Salt Lake City team,” Mayor Mendenhall said.

Highlights of the report card include completing exploration of zoning modifications that could support the construction of more affordable housing, including an affordable housing overlay zone. The City is embarking on the second round of public engagement for an affordable housing overlay zone, and the proposed ordinance is anticipated to be complete at the end of February. 

The City also worked toward increasing public transit ridership and access through capital improvements, increased partnerships, operational investment, transit-supportive land use, and travel demand management policies.

A joint resolution was signed with the City Council to accelerate the City’s transition to a cleaner, more electrified transportation system.

And, 1,000 trees were planted throughout the city’s westside communities, in addition to the 1,100 normally planted citywide.

Ongoing work includes the development of the Gentrification Mitigation Plan, work with state and with local developers to support the development of a year-round public market to increase the amount and diversity of food available to Salt Lake residents, and the implementation of solar and/or EV readiness policy or incentives for new construction.

While goals like transitioning to a pay-by-weight waste system and enacting an ordinance that requires all new buildings funded by City money to be all-electric and emission-free by 2023 were projects not executed in 2020.  Items incomplete are either queued for action in 2021 or being reevaluated for better paths to implementation.

To transparently account for ongoing work and annual goals, the Salt Lake City Annual Progress Report Card will be released yearly. 

The report card can be found at https://www.slc.gov/reportcard/

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