April 20, 2021 — Spring is upon us! The weather is warming, construction season is coming, and the annual City budget process is kicking off . Mayor Mendenhall works with each City department to draft a recommended budget for the fiscal year (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022). The Mayor then presents her recommended budget to the City Council. The Council will hold several discussions in May and June, which the public is welcome to attend. Stay tuned for Funding Our Future-specific budget items to come in the next few weeks. Learn the latest about different programs and projects, as well as ways to submit feedback, below.
Meanwhile, it is still important to follow COVID safety precautions. While the state’s mask requirement ended on April 10th, masks will still be required in Salt Lake City per Mayor Mendenhall’s emergency proclamation. Data about COVID vaccinations and cases, coupled with warnings from epidemiologists about the rapid spread of highly contagious COVID variants, guided Mayor Mendenhall to continue what has worked—wearing masks. For the latest on COVID vaccination information, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/
On April 8th, Mayor Mendenhall marked the 53rd anniversary of the passage of the Federal Fair Housing Act by proclaiming April Fair Housing Month in Salt Lake City. You can watch that press conference here . Through funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Funding Our Future, and more, Salt Lake City supports community partners, vital programs and services that address housing challenges throughout the City. On April 15th, Salt Lake City Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) staff participated in a Fair Housing Panel Discussion and Q & A with local housing organizations; you can watch that here. To learn more about fair housing in Salt Lake City, visit www.slc.gov/hand/fair-housing/
Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) Chief Mike Brown recently participated in a West View Media “City Talk” Facebook Live. You can watch that here.
The Salt Lake City Racial Equity in Policing (SLC REP) Commission continues working to examine the current policies, programs, culture and budget of the Salt Lake City Police Department. Their first set of recommendations can be found here. The Commission also held a press conference reacting to former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s unanimous verdict, having been found guilty of murdering George Floyd. You can watch that here.
Thanks to everyone who has participated in the 200 South Corridor Plan so far. Concept 2, the Side-Running Transit Concept, has been selected to move forward to final design! This concept includes a Business Access and Transit (BAT) lane with floating bus stops. For more information, visit 200southslc.com
Also, UTA is maintaining current COVID safety practices by continuing to require that face masks be worn by riders and UTA employees.
Funding Our Future was approved in 2018; it includes the $87 million bond for street reconstruction and annual sales tax funding for multiple areas including street maintenance. This was by design to improve the street network from both directions: the bond to reconstruct the streets in worst condition paired with the funding for maintenance to prolong the useful life of streets in good condition.
Fast forward to now in 2021, and road construction season is upon us again! Multiple Funding Our Future bond reconstruction projects are starting this year, including 300 West, 900 South, 100 South, and 900 East. Separately, Funding Our Future sales tax revenue is supporting street maintenance; several of these surface treatment projects are also happening soon. Learn more and take the survey about the draft street designs here!