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- Salt Lake City seeks $4.1 million for public safety without affecting general budget.
- City to receive three grants, including $3.2 million for police costs and $666,000 for Jordan River improvements.
- Potential budget uncertainties arise from state funding uncertainties and some tax shortfalls.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's capital city is looking to add approximately $4.1 million to its current budget to address mostly public safety issues, but none of the new spending is expected to affect its general budget.
It comes as city leaders prepare for potential budget "uncertainties" in the coming months.
- Salt Lake City is expected to receive $3.2 million from the state to help mitigate the impacts associated with winter overflow at homeless shelters, which it has already budgeted toward police personnel costs — the first year that the city is planning to do that with the money.
- It's also set to receive $666,000 from the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, which will go toward "removing hazardous vegetation to improve safety, navigation and habitat" along 9 miles of the Jordan River. The ultimate goal is to create an "urban oasis" supporting outdoor recreation activities like boating, fishing and birdwatching, but it follows similar cleanups this year, especially in sections that were closed this year over crime concerns.
- Another $224,000 comes from the Davis County Sheriff's Office through a grant it received, which reimburses the city for the purchase of equipment. The money is expected to be used on new license plate reader cameras to be placed atop traffic light poles at major intersections in the city, such as Beck Street, according to the city. These are often used by departments to help identify potential suspects or help in cases involving missing people or stolen vehicles.
City officials have had public hearings on all three items since July, but they will hold one last hearing on the budget amended Tuesday night before a potential vote to adopt the changes to the budget afterward. Although none of the additions would impact Salt Lake City's general fund, city leaders received an update on its finances as part of a discussion about the measure ahead of the potential vote.
Utah's capital is currently on track to land almost $485.3 million in taxes, charges and other revenue sources, which is a little more than $350,000 short of its budget this fiscal year, the city's finance department reported on Tuesday. They said milder weather and "subdued" natural gas prices are big factors, causing about a $700,000 shortfall so far in natural gas tax collections.
But the city is starting to see building permit activity pick up again, while it has also received bumps from the new parking meter rates and hours, and reimbursements for city resources sent out to natural disasters in California and New Mexico this year, according to the department.
The numbers are also premature, accounting for finances through October. Initial reporting indicates that Christmas sales are doing well, which may help improve sales tax revenue and turn the trend around, said Greg Cleary, the city's budget director.
"We're being really cautious with this. There's still a lot of uncertainty out there, and, historically, we really become more certain after we get Christmas sales and numbers like that," he said. "We tend to try not to make any assumptions until we see that data come through."
Of course, that's not the only thing that could affect city finances. Gov. Spencer Cox released his 2027 fiscal year budget proposal a day after the discussion, which seeks to address a $300 million decrease in anticipated federal funds for the new fiscal year beginning in July 2026.
The so-called "flat" budget may impact cities, which may also lose out on federal funding resources, as well. It's why the City Council requested more frequent financial updates, so it's not caught off guard during each budget amendment request or by the time it begins crafting its 2027 fiscal year budget.
"The upcoming budget season and the upcoming legislative session may result in lots of uncertainties for our budget, both current year and the next fiscal year. It's really helpful that we have such real-time information ... so that information can be shared," said Salt Lake City Council executive director Jennifer Bruno.
