SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson proposed a $1.9 billion budget that includes funding open space and trail improvements, investing in infrastructure projects put off and kicking money into a "tiny home village" designed to get people out of homelessness.
In an address to the Salt Lake County Council, the mayor announced she will not recommend any new ongoing programs and has denied 22 new hires because of rising costs of goods, health care and employee compensation. County workers would see raises, particularly for public safety.
Mayor Wilson proposed $2 million from the county to the Other Side Academy's Tiny Home Village, "a place where 400 members of the homeless community will eventually be provided a safe, secure and warm place to live while in recovery."
In her speech, the mayor noted her opposition to the Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola project and concerns about the Great Salt Lake's decline. She announced environmental initiatives including expanding trail access in Rose, Yellow Fork and Butterfield canyons, more maintenance along the Jordan River Trail and increased bike lanes across the county. She also sought funding for sidewalk improvements in Taylorsville.
"I'm also proposing an unprecedented $5 million investment in open space funding," the mayor said. "Vacant land is being developed by the minute and we need to act now to preserve open spaces that make Salt Lake County unique."
The mayor announced plans to move the Salt Palace away from a freon-use air conditioning system to a more environmentally one that is cheaper, too. She planned to spend money on pre-apprenticeship programs for people to get new jobs and spend $2 million to fund the Utah AIDS Foundation's first-ever LGBTQ community center. She also announced funding for Centro Civico Mexicano to replace its aging building and a new animal shelter and animal park.
The bulk of the mayor's budget was to deal with deferred maintenance, including $85 million for fixes at recreation centers, repairs at the jail, renovations for parks and recreation centers and improvements to the county's sewage canal.
The mayor can propose a budget, but it is the council that passes one. Council members will review her spending priorities in the coming months before passing a final budget.
