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SALT LAKE CITY — After 20 months of being closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and also an earthquake that damaged the building, Salt Lake City Hall has finally reopened.
City officials announced Wednesday that the Salt Lake City-County Building is now open for in-person meetings with some departments. Those include the cashier (for city-related payments), parking citation/civil hearings, business licensing, building permit processing, city recorder, landlord-tenant program and building/fire code review.
"Having our beloved City Hall open again to the public has been a long-awaited moment for us. Salt Lake City has been proud to be open for business throughout the pandemic but we're very excited to now offer residents who prefer in-person meetings the opportunity to have them for many of our most common services," Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in a statement.
The building was closed in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Utah in earnest. Then, on March 18, 2020, it was one of the dozens of historic Salt Lake Valley buildings damaged by a 5.7 magnitude earthquake. Lisa Shaffer, the city's chief administrative officer, said work has been conducted through the phone, virtual meetings, mail and email for over a year and a half.
While in-person access is again available, there are some public health protocols. All city employees and visitors are required to wear masks, as is the case with all city-owned buildings. Visitors are also told to check in at security desks located on either of the first two floors.
"We're glad to now have a system in place for in-person appointments while following health guidelines," Shaffer said in a statement Wednesday.
District 1 Council seat filled
Meanwhile, the Salt Lake City Council is once again at full strength.
Victoria Petro-Eschler, Salt Lake City Council District 1-elect, was officially sworn in as a councilwoman Tuesday to fill in the remaining eight weeks left in former Councilman James Rogers' term.
"Thank you to my neighbors in District 1 for not just voting but for answering the door every time we showed up and the text messages and the phone calls and for placing this trust in me. Thank you to three frenetic children you see here and the adult that isn't here in the room for giving me motivation," she said, surrounded by her family during Tuesday's virtual meeting.
She also thanked extended family and people who helped her campaign this fall.
Rogers resigned from the position in October, citing a need to spend more time with his family. The district covers the city's Rose Park, Fairpark, Jordan Meadows and Westpointe neighborhoods, and includes the Salt Lake City International Airport and parts of the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.
While the Nov. 2 municipal election won't be certified by Salt Lake County officials until next week, Petro-Eschler emerged on election night as the leader in the District 1 race over two other candidates, Blake Perez and Richard D.M. Barnes.
It hasn't changed since then. More than a week later, Petro-Eschler has 47% of the vote, nearly 5% more than Perez. Salt Lake City is one of 21 communities in the state using ranked choice voting for the first time this year. The county's projection has Petro-Eschler winning in the second round of voting. Both Perez and Barnes have since conceded in the race.
Petro-Eschler is set to be sworn in again on Jan. 3, when the term she was elected for begins. After being sworn in as a city councilwoman Tuesday, she directed her final message to her new colleagues.
"I'm looking forward to what's to come with my new co-workers, my new friends, my new laborers, in making sure our intentions and our impacts are what they want to be," she said. "I'm so excited to work alongside you."
