At today’s Council and RDA Meetings:

• The Council received the proposed Salt Lake City budget from the Mayor for the next fiscal year, which begins in July. More on the Mayor’s presentation here.
• Council Members received an update on the vacancy process for filling the empty District 2 Council seat. More on this vacancy here.
• The Redevelopment Agency Board approved a loan for a five-story affordable housing development on 1300 South Street.

The Redevelopment Agency (RDA)
The Board of Directors:

• received a briefing about, and then approved a loan to Colony B LLC for an affordable housing development at approximately 228 West 1300 South. The five-story project will contain 140 residential units with 106 units affordable to households earning 50% of the area median income and below for a minimum of 50 years. Discussion among the Board included design, street activation, expanding other housing to the foster population, and other topics. Groundbreaking is planned for July 2021 and is expected to open in 2023.
  
  
• received a briefing about a resolution that would adopt housing funding priorities for the upcoming year. The funding priorities for the upcoming fiscal year provides policy direction for RDA staff on affordable housing developments eligible for subsidies. The development targets for the year include 10 projects and 350 affordable units. The Board discussed overall prioritization and will further explore what the Mayor presented in her overall budget proposal, the funding amount of housing dedicated to affordable housing developments, and the allocation of this amount among different program categories, and other items. This discussion will continue at the May 18 meeting.
  
  

Council Work Session items
The Council was:

• briefed by the Police Chief and others on police officer training and promotions, including how the City’s trainings go beyond state requirements and recent changes to the promotion process. The Department reports the in-house Academy requires a minimum training time of 22 weeks. The Racial Equity in Policing (REP) Commission has recently suggested the City change some of the Department’s training practices. Discussion included training facilities, how to implement REP recommendations, educational opportunities, and other topics. The Council is holding an ongoing series of discussions about policing and related topics in the City.  
  

• given an informational update on recent efforts on various projects related to racial equity and policing in the City. The REP continues to meet regularly, usually weekly. The REP will hold another public listening session on May 18 at 6 pm. More on the Commission.
  

• briefed about Budget Amendment No. 8 for the current year, amounting to $2.4 million. The proposed amendment includes funding for Crisis Intervention Team training certifications and re-certifications, hiring a class of lateral police officers, and a donation to Switchpoint to create a shelter for low-income seniors and veterans, among other changes. Discussion among the Council included police staffing numbers, comparison of staffing from year to year, support from the REP for the lateral hires, and other topics. A straw poll was taken by the Council to support paying for the lateral hires out of the general fund. Later in the day, the Council held a hearing to accept public comment on the amendment. Tentative Council action is scheduled for Tuesday, May 18.  Note: a briefing about Budget Amendment No. 9 was pulled from the agenda because of time and will be rescheduled.

Other Agenda items
The Council was:

• given an informational update on relieving the condition of people experiencing homelessness. The Mayor reported she wants the ‘tiny home’ project she announced in the last week as permanent in nature to help people experiencing homelessness. The Mayor reported an abatement is underway at 600 S. 400 W, and that the encampments are offered assistance from community partners through the Community Commitment Program and the accompanying Resource Fairs.
  
  
• given an informational update on the pandemic. The Mayor reported Salt Lake City is still in the “moderate transmission level” according to the State’s guidelines. The Mayor plans to issue an executive order requiring masks at all City facilities and for the City to continue encouraging people to take this life-saving step while COVID remains a very real and present risk to public health.
  
  
• briefed about a temporary land use ordinance allowing restaurants and retail establishments that hold a current business license to conduct temporary outdoor restaurant dining and retail activities on private property and utilize temporary structures to facilitate outdoor dining and retail activities. The temporary ordinance would be in effect for six months. Later in the day, the Council approved the ordinance.

 Note: Council Members, when elected, become part of four organizations that do City business:

• The City Council
• The Redevelopment Agency
• The Local Building Authority
• The Board of Canvassers
  
  This night, three of those organizations had items to consider acting upon. It included temporary budgets for the fiscal year ahead. These budget approvals are for emergency purposes only. The City’s overall budget discussion, with public input, will continue to mid-June.
  

Council Formal Meeting:

• The scheduled comment periods for public hearings and the open comment section included a half dozen people who spoke about ranked choice voting, people experiencing homelessness, concerns about police services, and other topics.
• The Council held public hearings on six items, all grants, and referred them to a future agenda for possible action.
• The seventh public hearing was for Budget Amendment No. 8. Tentative Council action on this item was referred to a future Council Meeting.  

The Council adopted:

• A Resolution: Tentative Budget of Salt Lake City, including the Tentative Budget of the Library Fund, for Fiscal Year 2021-22
• An Ordinance: Zoning Map Amendment located at approximately 706 to 740 West 900 South 710 to 739 West Genesee Avenue * The Council was reconsidering this item to clarify for the public record which of the two proposed ordinances was being considered.
• A Board Appointment: Public Utilities Advisory Committee. Council approved the appointment of Dani Cepernich to the PUAC for a term ending January 20, 2025.
  
  

Other Formal Meetings
Local Building Authority
The Board approved a resolution adopting the tentative budget for the Capital Projects Fund of the Local Building Authority of Salt Lake City, Utah for Fiscal Year 2021-22.

Redevelopment Agency
The Board approved a resolution adopting the tentative budget for the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City for Fiscal Year 2021-22.


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.