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SALT LAKE CITY — Sounding an optimistic tone in his 2015 State of the County address Tuesday, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams said he is "bullish" on the county's future.
"As a thriving metropolitan area, Salt Lake County is leading the way forward on economic growth and jobs, low taxes, public safety, fiscal discipline and innovation," said McAdams, speaking in the County Council chambers.
"The signs are everywhere," he said, noting the success of the recent Outdoor Retailer Winter Market that generated more than $20 million in direct spending to Salt Lake and the state, the latest Sundance Film Festival, and the opening of new county arts facilities and trails.
"We balanced our budget in bipartisan fashion, retained our triple-A bond rating, made infrastructure safer and more efficient, and took significant steps to improve our air quality.
"For those reasons and others, I'm bullish on our future," McAdams said.
In West Valley City, a young mother with a 1-year-old daughter is also optimistic about her future thanks to Salt Lake County's Milestone Transitional Living Program.
McAdams singled out the program — and participant Trista Smith and her daughter Noelle — in his address, noting the program's goals of helping homeless young adults become self-sufficient by providing housing and intensive case management.
"For Trista, Milestone House is a temporary but critical support for her on her road to self-reliance," McAdams said.
Smith has been on her own since age 15, getting by living with friends, in hotels, and periodically with her daughter's father.
She now lives an apartment the Milestone program leases from the Housing Authority of the County of Salt Lake. Salt Lake County Youth Services provides case management, everything from "a roof over our head" to guiding her to services and educational opportunities that will help her and her daughter to the next stage of their lives, Smith said.
"I feel independent. This program has made me realize I don't need to be dependent on anyone else. I can do this on my own," she said.
We're leading from a number of directions, including improving transit access, providing more active transportation choices, by reducing particulates produced by wood-burning fireplaces and stoves, and reducing emissions produced by personal vehicles.
–Mayor Ben McAdams
Smith plans to attend college to study microbiology and build a life of stability for her and her daughter, who is just taking her first steps.
Milestone program manager Mina Koplin said Smith entered the program in September and is making tremendous progress in meeting the program's and her personal goals.
"If we can give them stability and an opportunity to move forward, the sky's the limit," Koplin said.
While much of McAdams' address focused on innovations such as the county's Pay for Success initiative, which is helping to expand preschool opportunities for low-income children, the mayor spoke on challenges that lie ahead.
He joined the County Council in calling on the Utah Legislature to adopt Gov. Gary Herbert's Healthy Utah plan, which he has proposed as a state alternative to Medicaid expansion. Medicaid reform is particularly important to the county given its unique legal requirement to provide public and behavioral health services, McAdams said.
"(Healthy Utah) is fiscally sound, allows for cost containment, keeps our Utah tax dollars here in Utah, and most importantly is the right thing to do for our uninsured residents," he said.
Meanwhile, the county is relying on the best science and expertise available to identify steps that will put the county on a path to cleaner air, McAdams said.
"We're leading from a number of directions, including improving transit access, providing more active transportation choices, by reducing particulates produced by wood-burning fireplaces and stoves, and reducing emissions produced by personal vehicles," he said.
A healthy community, McAdams said, is built on a foundation of healthy places.
"As Salt Lake County residents go about their daily lives, there is simply no substitute for good health," he said. "Is there anything more vital to our pursuit of happiness?"
