Could Salt Lake City lose funding if it doesn't work with state police on crime?

SALT LAKE CITY — A new bill would require certain cities to enter into an "interagency agreement" with the Utah Department of Public Safety or risk losing certain state funds, which seems to target Salt Lake City after state leaders criticized its handling of public safety last year.

City officials say they're aware of the bill, but they don't believe it's necessary.

HB465, sponsored by House Majority Assistant Whip Casey Snider, R-Paradise, was numbered on Monday and is expected to be assigned to a committee as soon as this week. Snider said the "perennial" nature of issues around homelessness in the capital city calls for a stronger accountability measure, which his bill aims to do.

He said he believes Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall has announced "some potential solutions that are good," and "in an ideal world," he would like to see those move forward without the state needing to intervene.

"What I'm trying to accomplish with this bill is a clear outline for a way that we can move forward with both local and state resources, and also have provisions in place that if things go sideways — if issues aren't resolved — there is some accountability in the long term," Snider told KSL.com Tuesday afternoon.

The bill doesn't directly target Salt Lake City, and Snider said it isn't "meant to be punitive." It could potentially impact other large cities that receive homelessness resources from the state.

He suspects St. George may be the only other city affected by the bill and said he has already spoken with its leaders about a potential agreement with the Utah Department of Public Safety.

"Even those cities that may not have sort of these pervasive problems, all they have to do is have a conversation and enter into an agreement with the state, and we move on," he added. "This doesn't have to be punitive. This doesn't have to be hard. I really am optimistic about this."

Salt Lake City officials say they're tracking HB465 and plan to work with Snider on the proposed bill.

In a statement to KSL.com, city spokesman Andrew Wittenberg said the city understands the desire to "expand" the partnership between the city and the Utah Department of Public Safety; however, city leaders also aren't sure the bill is needed to do that.

"As we outlined in the public safety plan, it will take a coordinated approach to achieve the results we all desire," he said. "We appreciate Rep. Snider's invitation to collaborate on this bill and look forward to continuing those discussions."

Addressing homelessness and public safety

State leaders have been critical of how Salt Lake City handles public safety. Gov. Spencer Cox and other state officials penned a letter to Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall in December, calling on the city to address policing and criminal justice "inadequacies." They also asked her to present a public safety plan before the state of the legislative session.

The mayor revealed her plan last month. The large document features items that the city would recommend, as well as policy recommendations for the state to consider as she argued that a "brokenness" in the system allowed for many of the issues to happen.

Snider said he's grateful for the city's proposals, but he believes there still needs to be accountability from the state to ensure progress is made. He added he's "hopeful" that the two sides can work together on the final bill.

"It's certainly not meant in any other spirit — that spirit a collaborative one," he said. "But this issue, it's not the first time we've talked about it up here, right? And it's not really the first time that that issue has been pressed."

The topic remains an ongoing discussion in city meetings, where elected leaders and other officials argue there's a reason the conversation isn't new.

Andrew Johnston, director of homeless policy and outreach for Salt Lake City, said local and state leaders should continue to invest in jail, shelters, residential treatment, supportive housing, and deeply affordable housing to address public safety concerns because he believes they're all related.

He brought a cart with five cups filled with water to a City Council work session on Tuesday to articulate his point. He continued to pour water into them until water overflowed onto the cart. This, he says, is what's happening right now. All five aspects are at capacity, which is causing people to spill out into the streets.

Johnston said he believes focusing on one topic can temporarily help, but it may not be a long-term solution.

"All these areas have to be addressed in one way," he said, pointing to supportive housing and affordable housing being a key factor in the equation. "I can spend another $500 million … a jail, and I can spend that much on treatment beds, but if I don't spend it down here on the housing, there's still no exit strategy here."

Handling the issue legislatively

Both sides agree there must be a metric used to determine the success of the bill.

Meanwhile, city officials believe other legislative efforts may help. They point to four other legislative bills that align with the plan's recommendations, all of which are in different stages in the legislative process.

All bills must be approved by both the Utah House of Representatives and Senate by March 7 before going into law, unless vetoed by Cox.

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