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SALT LAKE CITY — Despite a lean budget, Salt Lake City leaders were able to identify an additional $600,000 Tuesday to fund short-term projects to clean up the Rio Grande neighborhood.
The Salt Lake City Council approved the city's $259 million general fund budget with little deviation from the recommendations Mayor Jackie Biskupski made last month.
The most notable change came at a final-hour adjustment, when the mayor proposed pumping $605,000 into six short-term mitigation projects to help improve quality of life along Rio Grande street, where business owners and other stakeholders have demanded immediate action to address worsening conditions.
The council approved the recommendation, which included $100,000 to increase police foot patrols, $150,000 for a pilot program to provide access to behavioral health assessments, $50,000 to help disperse campers off of the 500 West median, $25,000 for enhanced day services, and $25,000 more in additional funding for a team of homeless people hired to clean the area.
About $45,000 was approved to increase the number of homeless storage bins, and $10,000 would be used to mitigate queuing outside of the Road Home by fencing off a playground at the shelter so individuals could use the space while the shelter is being cleaned rather than lining up outside.
The council also approved another $200,000 to fund a pilot project to add portable bathrooms in the area to prevent public defecation, which has become a prominent problem for store owners in the Rio Grande area.
Some of the extra funding came from three social worker positions that remained vacant through the current budget year.
“These recommended projects will provide some short-term relief to individuals experiencing homelessness while we continue to move forward with our longer-term plans to provide homeless services,” Biskupski said. “There was a desire from both my administration and the City Council to keep this surplus funding targeted to the Rio Grande neighborhood and focused on helping those in need.”
Biskupski said she was pleased that there wasn't any "pushback" from the council on her budget proposals.
"We've got to stick together on this in order for us to succeed," she said. "We know we're on the right path and not just guessing or providing a service just because we're asked to, but rather really trying to affect people's lives in a positive way."
The mayor noted that short-term action must run parallel to long-term solutions, for which the city is currently seeking public input in public workshops focused on determining criteria for new homeless shelter sites and services.
Council Vice Chairman Stan Penfold said this year's budget process was smooth compared to years past, partly because there wasn't a lot of wiggle room, he said, but also because the mayor and the council's priorities "lined up really well."
"The challenge of course going forward is we don't have all the funding we want for some of the other priorities we have, but we're going to continue that conversation through the rest of the year," he said.
Issues such as the city's struggling golf fund and vehicle fleet funds remain.
However, the council did approve the mayor's recommendation to spend $7.75 million in unspent, one-time state funds for road improvements, including $4 million for work on 500 South and 700 South.
The budget also included a 1.25 percent pay increase for all city employees and funded 10 dispatcher positions in the 911 Communications Bureau to reduce wait times for emergency calls.
Additionally, the council approved Biskupski's recommendations to create two new city departments for economic development and sustainability.
