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Salt Lake City drops lawsuit over inland port

Posted at 4:40 PM, Jan 20, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-20 18:49:06-05

SALT LAKE CITY — A hotly contested lawsuit over the inland port has been dropped.

Salt Lake City and the state of Utah mutually agreed to dismiss the lawsuit, the Utah Attorney General's Office and Mayor Erin Mendenhall's office confirmed to FOX 13 News.

The Utah Supreme Court granted the request today, according to an order issued by Associate Chief Justice John Pearce.

The state's top court previously ruled against the city on part of the litigation, which centered around tax revenue the city had claimed it was denied. They essentially accused the state of an illegal "land grab" when a large part of Salt Lake City's northwest side was swept up for development of the inland port.

The Utah State Legislature last year struck a deal with Mayor Mendenhall's administration for a larger cut of property tax revenue. The mayor said the agreement also ensured stronger environmental standards surrounding the port's development.

"The parties mutually agreed to request dismissal of the lawsuit in December and the Court approved that today," the mayor's office said in a statement. "Because the City and Port Authority are working under a new contractual relationship that addresses how the City’s money will be spent to benefit our impacted communities, the parties agreed that continuing the litigation was not necessary."