At Today’s Council Meeting

Work Session items
The Council received:

* an informational update relating to the local emergencies for COVID-19, the March earthquake, and the September windstorm:

• the Mayor’s staff reported that Covid numbers continue to increase in the County and City, with two local hospitals having a high number of people in ICU beds. The staff also reported 46 people among the City’s police and fire personnel are currently affected by the pandemic.

* An informational update on relieving the condition of people experiencing homelessness. The Mayor’s staff reported:

• the Community Commitment program has connected so far to 162 people experiencing homelessness. Half of that group was offered placement for temporary housing, but many declined for a variety of reasons. A Resource Fair for this community is scheduled for later this week.
• on overflow planning for people experiencing homelessness. This effort is led by an outside coalition. It was reported that St Vincent opened last week and is funded through the winter; motel vouchers are being offered using City and State funding. A separate hotel with 132 beds is available for unique needs, such as those with Covid. Another option for additional housing is being considered countywide.
• Council Members asked about the physical encampment cleanup process; more info is to come from the Mayor’s staff.

* An update on recent efforts on various projects City staff are working on related to racial equity and policing in the City. Council staff reported:

• the military surplus ordinance, which restricts the Police Department from military equipment purchases, has been completed and is on the books.
• enhancements for the Civilian Review Board are in the works, with a draft ordinance planned for the end of the year. There are also efforts to fill out the Board’s membership to its full complement.
• an ordinance involving involving body camera usage by the PD has a basic framework and should return to the Council agenda in November with proposed revisions. Meetings with the contractor supplying the cameras are planned as part of the process.
• the Commission on Racial Equity in Policing is meeting regularly; sub-committees have been formed and a facilitator has been hired for the Commission.
• an auditor to perform an audit of the PD budget should be hired next month and quickly put into action; 96 comments were received from the public to help outline the scope of the audit.
• an update on City Budget Amendment # 3, which had an advertising error, and will be moved to the Oct. 28 Council special meeting. This amendment included funding for the Commission.

 
Other Agenda items
The Council:

• received a briefing from a Rocky Mountain Power representative about power outage response plans, focusing on the September 8^th windstorm where 200 thousand Utah customers lost power. RMP reports that repairs are based on what fix will help the most customers and repairs are made in that order. Council Members asked RMP to review when emergency repairs are made, using the ‘lens’ of economic differences between neighborhoods and what investments are made in those neighborhoods. RMP repaired 55 miles of wire, an unusually large amount of wire that corresponds with the windstorm being one of the most damaging in recent history. Separately, the power company also noted its plans of a major rebuild of its SLC office.
• received an update about community engagement efforts and plans for the new Public Lands Master Plan. The Plan will guide the ongoing work of the Division of Parks, Trails, Natural Lands and Urban Forestry as the City’s population and density continue to grow. The community engagement strategy will offer three “windows of opportunity” for the public to provide more input, the first of which ended on October 7. Information on the next two “windows” can be found here: www.reimaginenatureslc.com/
• was briefed about a proposal to close a portion of 800 North Street adjacent to I-15 and Warm Springs Road. The applicant owns the property to the north and proposes the vacated area will be split between the owners to the north and south. The City would receive additional road access on the property. Billboards may be restricted at the site. A public hearing was set for Tuesday, December 1 at 7 p.m., and there may be possible Council action on the item on Tuesday, December 8.
• was briefed about the Eccles Theater (Utah Performing Arts Center, or UPAC) Site operating budget for Fiscal Year 2020-21. The UPAC Fiscal Year operates on the Calendar Year. This was the annual presentation of the UPAC site budget. County representatives reported $3.6 million was proposed today by the County Mayor to help sustain the Eccles during its reduced operations due to pandemic restrictions. They also reported more than 30 Eccles employees have been redeployed to help with other County efforts as the theatre waits to fully re-open from the reduced operations.
• received a follow-up briefing about a request to increase the building heights within a portion of the Gateway Mixed Use zoning district from a current maximum of 120 feet up to 190 feet across portions of two separate blocks located between 500 West Street and the railroad tracks (approximately 625 West) and 200 South and 400 South. The applicant is requesting the change for a specific development project and is not seeking to alter height limits across the entirety of the zone. The discussion included such items as a conditional approval; a review of public benefits for allowing the height increase, and a height study. The Council asked for the topic to return for discussion in late January.

 
FORMAL

• The Council adopted a joint ceremonial resolution with Mayor Mendenhall declaring November as Native American Heritage Month in Salt Lake City.

Fifteen Public Hearings were held.
   >  Eight of the hearings were for grant applications, and six were adopted (Items B1-6).
   >  Two items were deferred to a later meeting for possible action (Items B7-8).  

The remaining seven hearings included an:

• Ordinance: Demolition of Dangerous or Boarded Buildings. The hearing was continued to a future meeting.
• Ordinance: Zoning Map Amendment for 402 and 416 East 900 South (Southeast Market). The ordinance was adopted.
• Ordinance: Early Notification Text Amendment. The hearing was continued to a future meeting.
• Ordinance: Text Amendments to the RMF-30 Low Density Multi-Family Residential Zoning District. The hearing was continued to a future meeting.
• Ordinance: Cemetery Master Plan. The ordinance was adopted.
• Ordinance: Rezone and Master Plan Amendment at 833 South 800 East (Telegraph Exchange Lofts). The hearing was closed and deferred to a future meeting for possible action.
• Ordinance: Shared Housing Zoning Text Amendments (formerly Single Room Occupancy or SROs) The hearing was closed. A second hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 7 p.m. with possible Council action on November 17.
• Ordinance: Budget Amendment No. 3 for Fiscal Year 2020-21 (this hearing was pulled from the tonight’s agenda and is to be heard at a future meeting).

 
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
The Council also adopted:

• a Resolution authorizing the payment of Public Safety and Firefighter Employee Retirement Contributions
• a Resolution to update to the City’s 2020-24 Consolidated Plan Guiding Use of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities (CARES) Act Funds

Other Actions
Approved Board Appointments for the:
   Historic Landmark Commission – John Ewanowski
   Historic Landmark Commission – Babs DeLay
   Historic Landmark Commission – Aiden Lillie
   Business Advisory Board – Kristen Lavelett
   Utah Performing Arts Center Agency (UPACA) Board – Jennifer Bruno
   Utah Performing Arts Center Agency (UPACA) Board – Justin Belliveau

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.