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Salt Lake City desperately needs a new public safety building. To get one, voters in the capital city should willingly approve Proposition 1 on November 3rd. Prop 1 is the city's $125-million public safety bond.
The existing facility, quite frankly, is a dilapidated embarrassment. It is functionally inadequate and far too costly to maintain. Cramped space, leaky ceilings and crumbling concrete exemplify the problem. Imagine cops needing to hit the street getting stuck in elevators, and evidence becoming damaged because of seeping sewage. Yet, that is what Salt Lake police routinely experience.
If the bond is approved - and it should be - the city will move forward to construct a new public safety complex on the block to the east of Library Square. In addition to police and fire administration and other services, the new facility will house a dedicated Emergency Operations Center. That is something a city the size of Salt Lake most certainly should have during these tenuous times.
Unfortunately, approval of the bond will mean a tax increase for city businesses and property owners. In KSL's view, though, it is a price that needs to be paid now and not later. We urge city voters to approve the measure on November 3rd.
