Thank you to everyone who joined us for our April District 5 Town Hall! We appreciate you taking the time to attend, ask thoughtful questions, and connect with what’s happening in our community.
For those who weren’t able to make it, here’s a recap of the key topics and updates we covered:
City Budget Updates for Fiscal Year 2025-26
- The City’s Administration is finalizing budget proposals, with the Mayor submitting the proposed budget on May 6. The City Council will review and adjust the budget through June. Learn more about how the budget works.
- We have several funds unique to Salt Lake City:
- Library Fund: Council authorizes the Library budget and property tax levy.
- Community Reinvestment Agency (CRA) Fund: Receives funding through property tax increment agreements to fund items like affordable housing and improvements in CRA project areas.
- Revenue types in the General Fund include both one-time (grants, property sales) and ongoing (sales tax, property tax) sources.
- The General Fund is about $500 million, a 9.7% increase over last year.
- Sales tax rate will increase to 8.70%.
- Truth in Taxation: Unique to Utah, this means if your property value rises, the rate adjusts so the City collects the same total amount—so always check your actual bill, not just the rate.
- Learn more about the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget at tinyurl.com/SLCFY26.
Public Lands Projects in District 5
Ida M. Cotten Park
- Upgrades are planned using funds from the voter-approved General Obligation (GO) Bond: more trees, benches, walkways, and refreshed playgrounds.
Liberty Park
- Cultural Landscape Report and Vision Plan: The plan will feature a historical report of the park and visioning for its future.
- Public outreach can be expected later this year and again in 2026.
- Rotary Play Park: The playground is undergoing a major $4 million redesign based on community input and inclusive design principles.
- Construction is expected to begin in Summer 2025 and will take about a year.
- Seven Canyons Fountain: The fountain is being converted to a dry art feature with the original artist’s team to improve safety and rehab landscaping.
- Engineering and design are underway now; construction will begin in late 2025/early 2026.
- Additional updates: repairs to historic fireplaces mostly complete, new basketball court underway, tennis court resurfacing beginning this summer, and greenhouse improvements starting soon.
Jefferson Park
- Playground replacement and park reimagining will be completed with over $1 million in joint funding from the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), Public Utilities, and the Park, Trails and Open Spaces Bond.
- Playground replacement to be completed by the end of summer 2025. Construction in 2026–2027 may add a new pathway, shade, and lighting.
Fleet Block
- Demolition of former city buildings has been completed to make space for a 3-acre public open space (southeast corner). Public engagement on design starts May 2025; artist selection for public art expected by end of 2025.
- The project aims to reflect the legacy of murals and community input. Second largest share of the bond goes to the Arts Council for this project.
- Stay updated and sign up for the Fleet Block newsletter.
Introduction to the mySLC App
- Residents can request services (e.g., snow removal, waste containers, street signs) or report non-emergency issues (e.g., graffiti, encampments, illegal parking) directly in the app.
- Provides status tracking, knowledge articles, and options for anonymous submissions.
- Learn more and download the mySLC app.
CRA State Street Mural Program
- The Ballpark Mural Program launched April 15, 2025. Applications will remain open for a month and close on May 15, 2025.
- $150,000 is available for up to 10 new murals on commercial or multi-family buildings from 2100 S to the West Temple freeway ramp. Murals are expected to be completed by fall 2025, with up to $15,000 per mural.
- Learn more and apply for the mural program.
City Council Updates
SECC District
- Major redevelopment projects are underway at the Delta Center and Salt Palace Convention Center downtown.
- The Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club will stay downtown for at least 30 years under the new agreement.
- Council Member Mano noted that this process ensured better outcomes for the City than previous approaches.
- Learn more at tinyurl.com/SECCDistrict.
Fleet Block
- The remaining city-owned buildings on the Fleet Block were recently demolished, and the City is working to redevelop the rest of the block.
- The property will be divided into parcels with midblock streets and walkways.
- Approximately 3 acres will be developed into public open space with commissioned public artwork. Public engagement for these spaces is coming soon.
- A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was recently released for the Fleet Block, with applications due May 30, 2025. Read the full RFQ at tinyurl.com/FleetBlockRFQ.
Ballpark NEXT
- Ballpark NEXT plans: Preserve the west building section as an amphitheater, add a permanent library and redesigned fire station, and increase year-round community activity.
Zoning Reform
- Commercial & Mixed-Use Zoning Consolidation: The City is consolidating over 100 mixed-use and commercial zones to a handful of mixed-use districts. These updates will help enable more housing and take pressure off development hot spots, such as Central 9th.
- Learn more and stay updated at tinyurl.com/SLCMixedUse.
- R-1 District Reforms: On March 4, 2025, the City Council requested that the Administration study and propose updates to simplify Salt Lake City’s R-1 single-family zoning districts. Possible changes could include smaller lot size requirements, more housing options, and simpler rules for flag-shaped lots.
- Learn more about the efforts to reform single-family zoning at tinyurl.com/SimplifyingR1Zones.
- RMF-35/RMF-45 Merger: Salt Lake City is proposing to merge the RMF-35 and RMF-45 zoning districts into a single, simplified zone to better support moderate-density “missing middle” housing like duplexes, townhomes, and cottage courts. These zones were originally intended to encourage a range of housing types, but in practice have mostly resulted in single-family homes or large apartment buildings.
- Learn more at tinyurl.com/MultifamilyMerger.