McAdams unveils streamlined SL County budget with no tax increases


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SALT LAKE CITY — In a year of slight revenue growth yet even higher inflation costs, Salt Lake County Ben McAdams on Monday proposed what he championed as a "fiscally conservative" budget with no tax increases.

While that meant little new money in the county's $1.2 billion budget, the mayor prioritized continuing criminal justice reform commitments — adding several million to both jail and prosecuting budgets — while also setting aside money for arts and economic development projects.

"The math is difficult," McAdams said, noting that the county's 2 percent revenue growth over the past year was offset by 4 percent inflation in health care and wages. "What we had to do is find efficiencies and streamline our budget to live within our means."

It's the second year of McAdams' plan to spend $9.4 million on criminal justice reform, money that came from an expired bond on the jail construction the mayor and County Council decided last year to extend.

As part of the reform, the mayor proposed $3.75 million this year to kick-start "Pay for Success" partnerships with the Road Home and First Step House to address chronic homelessness.

Also included in the mayor's proposal is a 3 percent pay raise for about 3,000 county employees; $39 million in tourism dollars for a new performing arts center in Taylorsville; expansion of a swimming program for autistic children; and $200,000 to plan development along the Mountain View Corridor.

Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder requested more than $6.7 million to fund at least 37 new employees to help tackle overcrowding problems at the county jail. Of that request, the mayor's proposal includes only $2.5 million for six new mental health workers, increased in-custody medical services and medical records software.

While Winder applauded the mayor's "commitment to fiscal conservancy," he warned that this year's budget may be the last year the county will be able to go without a tax increase while still meeting critical public safety needs.

Photo: Aaron Thorup, Salt Lake County
Photo: Aaron Thorup, Salt Lake County

"We are facing severe overcrowding and new pressures," the sheriff said, noting that since the state passed its criminal justice reinvestment initiative — diverting drug offenders to jail rather than prison — the county has seen a 209 percent increase in class A misdemeanors.

"We're reaching a place where we're going to have to spend some bucks, otherwise we're placing the county at risk," Winder said. "When we are not even taking thousands of people into our jail because we have no space, that is going to have a net effect on the quality of life and the economics in our valley."

The sheriff predicted the county will likely need a tax increase next year to meet those needs.

"It's got to come next year. There's no question," he said.

In the meantime, Winder said his department will "continue to balance our budget as everybody else does and do the best we can with the resources available."

McAdams acknowledged that the county can't defer the strain on its criminal justice system "forever" while also facing needs to balance revenue with inflation trends. But the mayor also wants to avoid unnecessary tax increases.

Odyssey House client Barbara Pierce, right, talks with Odyssey House Director Sheryl Chivers in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016. Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Odyssey House client Barbara Pierce, right, talks with Odyssey House Director Sheryl Chivers in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016. Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Barbara Pierce, a client of the treatment facility Odyssey House, sat in Monday's audience of county employees listening to McAdams' presentation. The mayor told of how Pierce led a normal life as a mother and wife before she became addicted to opioid pain pills after a back surgery.

"Her downward spiral ended with Barbara and her husband homeless, addicted to heroin and living on the streets," McAdams said. "Today, thanks to receiving treatment, she's working to get her life back on track, to connect with her grandchildren and resume her life."

The mayor said it will take additional funding to help more people like Pierce, and he's vowed to ask the Legislature to help the county continue its $1.2 million investment in Operation Diversion, a coordinated effort to separate criminals from downtown Salt Lake's homeless and addicted populations.

County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton applauded the mayor for not including a tax increase and for presenting a budget that will maintain the county's AAA bond rating.

Newton said she'll need more time to dive deeper into the budget, but her first priority will be scrutinizing the mayor's continued plan to spend $9.4 million for criminal justice reform.

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