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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's capital is "leveling up as a city" with a National Hockey League team now in the bag and Winter Olympics on the horizon, says Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.
While Mendenhall said she believes the city is "poised" to receive "some of the greatest transformations" in city history, she notes there's also a new effort to improve the "quality of life and critical infrastructure" of residents.
That's what the mayor focused on the most with her proposed $475.2 million general fund budget for the upcoming fiscal year. If approved by the Salt Lake City Council, it would represent a 5.9% increase from last year's record budget.
The plan includes "no major tax increases" after the city maneuvered around a deficit of over $20 million before the budget process began, according to the mayor. She explained that it required "creativity and diligence" from city departments to focus on greater needs so there wouldn't be any property tax increases.
"This proposal is responsible and accountable; it's proactive and determined," she said, during an address to the City Council on Tuesday evening. "It is a nuts-and-bolts budget for our city and sets us up to execute catalytic ambitions."
The vast majority of the budget goes toward city employees, as is the case every year. There's a $298.9 million request for city employee salary, pension and benefits, almost $24 million more than last year. This includes $3.2 million for more than 32 new positions.
There are several other special requests in the plan:
- $2.59 million toward affordable housing projects, adding to the $17.7 million that the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City approved for projects earlier this year.
- Add 10-12 new police officers for the Jordan River and North Temple areas. The city is applying for a grant that would cover $1.5 million in costs over three years.
- $750,000 toward "targeted" repair of the city's "most fragmented sidewalks."
- Expand funding for Utah Transit Authority on-demand service on the west side by $300,000, bumping annual spending to over $3 million. Mendenhall is asking for the city to continue funding bus passes for city students, guardians and educators, as well.
- Money for new art installations near Glendale Regional Park and the west side of the 9-Line trail. There's also over $300,000 recommended for "various art installations" at historic Japantown in downtown.
- A new fee schedule to reduce athletic field recreation fees by $57,000 altogether. The city will also reimburse youth organizations the difference between the new and old fees from the past two years.
The budget is different from measures being sorted out over a downtown entertainment district surrounding the Delta Center, which are taking place at the same time. The city has until the end of June to approve a budget for the 2025 fiscal year.
The City Council has until Sept. 1 to approve an agreement for the district, a deadline imposed by SB272. It also authorizes the City Council to approve up to a 0.5% sales tax increase to go toward projects in the area.
Mendenhall also recommends that the city create a new advisor to coordinate "cohesive large visions shaping up downtown," which may include a future entertainment district by the Delta Center along with other projects like the Green Loop and Main Street promenade. That would cost an estimated $216,420.
The mayor's proposed budget also doesn't take into account a few other departments with separate budgets, such as the airport and public utilities. Combined, nearly $2 billion is slated to be spent, largely because of ongoing construction.
The City Council will hold a pair of public hearings about the proposed budget before it is finalized, on May 21 and June 4, ahead of the June 30 deadline.
The start of Utah's fiscal new year is July 1.
