SL County Council Passes Resolution Encouraging Citizens to Attend Caucuses on March 22

Today the Salt Lake County Council passed a resolution encouraging county facilities and programs to make accommodations for citizens to attend their neighborhood caucus on Tuesday, March 22.

The resolution, sponsored by Republican Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton, aims to make it as easy as possible for residents to clear their schedules and attend these grassroots political meetings where delegates are elected. These delegates may choose their party’s nominees in offices ranging from county mayor and council members to state legislators and governor. Thousands of Republicans and Democrats all across the state attend caucuses held every two years. Both parties will be having their caucus meetings on March 22, and some will be holding presidential primary elections that night.

“Neighborhood caucuses allow every voter a chance to participate in the most grassroots political process that we have,” said Newton. “Salt Lake County won’t have scheduled rec games that night, county-sponsored library events, or other programs that could create a conflict.”

With bi-partisan council support, and support from the mayor’s office, county departments have adjusted programs and facilities to be able make it easier for voters to attend caucuses, but facilities will still remain open as usual.

In addition to Salt Lake County taking steps to make caucuses more accessible, the resolution also encourages other governmental entities within Salt Lake County to limit activities and events on March 22 to allow the residents an opportunity to attend.

Thanks to my Democrat colleague, Arlyn Bradshaw, for jumping on board to help sponsor this resolution.

AAA Bond Rating

Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams praised his fiscal management team and the Salt Lake County Council after receiving notice that Fitch Ratings, a national ratings firm, has assigned new, higher financial ratings to Salt Lake County bonds, including its transportation tax revenue bonds and its sales tax revenue bonds. Salt Lake County is one of 41 counties nationally—among 3,140 overall—to earn this distinction.

“This confirms the county’s financial health and also sends a strong signal that we’re a good long-term investment. It speaks to our determination to be a government with a fiscally-responsible balance sheet and a careful eye on budgets,” said Mayor McAdams.

Chief Financial Officer Darrin Casper says the county has been notified by Fitch Ratings that not only will it retain its triple-A rating on its general obligation bonds, but that several categories have been upgraded to either AA+ or AAA. Casper said that with such an excellent credit score, Salt Lake County will pay less interest and save taxpayer dollars when it enters the market with an upcoming issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount of $22 million as the second stage of parks, trails and open space expenditures. Salt Lake County voters approved a $47 million parks and trails bond measure during a 2012 election.

“Salt Lake County remains one of the top 41 counties nationwide for financial strength.  Sound, conservative fiscal policies have made this possible, along with prudent financial management by elected officials of both parties and our competent staff,” said County Council Chairman Richard Snelgrove.

“I’m proud of our fiscal management team. They serve the taxpayers well in how they manage governmental operations and the financial world clearly is taking notice,” said McAdams. “Once again, Salt Lake County is demonstrating what it means to be a thriving metropolitan area that focuses on efficient and responsive government.”

See the SL Trib article on this great news!

Salt Lake County Council passes the 2016 budget!

Over the past few weeks the Salt Lake County Council has been scrutinizing the budget. We approved $2.1 million in cuts and included funding for indigent defense, deferred maintenance, and criminal justice reform.

Tonight the council finalized and passed the budget for 2016. Our total budget is $1.1 billion. Much of those funds are pass-through dollars, so our general fund is around $304 million.

Salt Lake County is seeing an increase in jail bookings and we let 8000 criminals per year walk because of lack of space. Building and operating more jail beds is very expensive, so as a county we are looking for ways to reform criminal justice. Because there are so many criminal justice needs, the council considered extending a tax that was instituted for the jail bond 20 years ago. The bond is paid off at the end of this year and would free up $9.4 million.

If there was no tax extension, residents would get $18 back annually because of the jail bond. This extension means there is no tax increase, but residents won’t get a refund, either.

Both Republicans and Democrats on the Salt Lake County Council have been working on criminal justice reform through a bipartisan effort. We have been working together to make sure tax dollars are spent wisely and public safety needs are met.

These are my comments from the final budget meeting tonight:

"I came to our budget meeting a few weeks ago with a list of $4 million in proposed cuts to the budget. My goal was two-fold – first, to fund indigent defense and deferred maintenance in information technology. Second, my goal was to be able to move the sheriff and DA’s budgets out of this $9.4 million amount for criminal justice reform.

We were able to do some of these things, but not all. I know it’s not popular to continue a tax that some thought was promised to end. I don’t think 20 years ago anyone could’ve imagined that mental health issues would be so problematic, that the severity of crimes would be increasing at such an astonishing rate, and that we would have such a serious drug problem threatening our society.

Public safety is our number one responsibility. Last week I considered not voting to continue the tax, but as the days went on, my gut said otherwise. I believe it would be irresponsible to not spend the money necessary to find long-term solutions to this problem. How easy it would be to tell my conservative base that I will not raise taxes, and yet how completely sick I would feel to look away and pretend we don’t have the problems that we do while criminals roam free on our streets, and while we continue to have four-month long waiting lists for substance abuse treatment.

It is less expensive and more fiscally responsible to help people with substance abuse and mental health issues, than it is to lock them up. So I make my decision tonight based on the future – my children and your children’s future. If we continue to kick the can down the road, nothing will change, and our problems will only get worse and more expensive. I am asking the people of Salt Lake County to support us as we continue this tax – approximately $18 per year for the average homeowner – to reform our criminal justice system."

Last week Councilman DeBry and I spoke about our aversion to taking taxpayer dollars without a set purpose. We have heard from our constituents that they would like to see us make more cuts before keeping their hard-earned dollars for criminal justice reform. So tonight we proposed a half million dollars in additional cuts. We also extended the tax and allocated the $9.4 million for criminal justice reform to fund the following:

1.     A receiving center so we can assess and then refer mental health and substance abusers and get them into treatment to lighten the load of the jail.

2.     Mental health and substance abuse programs that coordinate with probation.

3.     Prioritize the opening of a Community Corrections Center in 2017.

4.     A data program that allows us to compare jail bookings with participation in behavioral health services to determine evidence-based results in reducing recidivism.

I am grateful for the many constituents who contacted my office to find out what was going on with this issue. I am also grateful for those who took my criminal justice survey. Over 80 percent said they would rather see money go for programs than more jail beds. Over 60 percent said they prefer we make cuts and extend the tax this year, rather than doing it next year or looking at more costly measures down the road.

Here is the Salt Lake Tribune article that gives more information about what happened.

Should the Salt Lake County Council extend the jail bond tax to pay for criminal justice reform?

This is one of the most important issues we have faced since I began my service on the council - criminal justice reform.

Our number one priority is public safety. Since the jail is the single largest drain on the budget, it is something I believe we need to closely scrutinize. We are seeing an increase in jail bookings and because we don't have room for everyone, we let 600 people per month walk. Operating more jail beds is very expensive, so as a county we are looking for ways to reform criminal justice. That may include having a receiving center with a magistrate who can quickly make decisions on where people need to be. It may include more detox beds so we aren't using precious jail space for those who just need an overnight detox. It may include opening another pod at Oxbow Jail. It may include more mental health and substance abuse programs to rehabilitate, so people don't keep cycling in and out of jail. It could also include building a community corrections center to help us do this.

Because there are so many needs in this arena, the council is looking at extending a tax that was instituted for the jail bond 20 years ago. The bond is paid off at the end of this year and would free up $9.4 million for criminal justice reform.

We have some real needs to address. I began by proposing $4 million in cuts to the Salt Lake County budget. (You can read about that here.) Avoiding wasteful spending is one of my priorities, and so is investing in the future so we can save tax dollars down the road. Criminal justice reform is something that is critical.

I want to hear from you! Please answer these two questions on my survey and let me know YOUR thoughts. You can also leave comments below.

Aimee's Criminal Justice Survey

(As a side note, some of my constituents received a post card in the mail about this issue, funded by an out-of-state special interest group. It has misinformation such as, "Salt Lake County wants to hike taxes yet again!" (We haven't raised taxes since I have been on the council, and I believe the last tax increase was in 2012.) The flyer says this would be the third tax increase this year, but doesn't specify who the other tax increases were from. They were not from Salt Lake County. It also says that the tax extension will increase taxes by $9.4 million per year. (It is an extension, not a new tax, so taxes will not increase by that amount.) Don't believe everything you read in the paper, or in the mailbox!)

2016 Budget Discussions

This year as the Salt Lake County budget season began, I was determined to do due diligence on what I believe is the most important role of a council member... looking at, understanding, and weighing in the budget before passing it. It's your money. I don't take my role lightly.

The mayor proposes a budget, and then it's the council's duty as the legislative branch, to scrutinize his proposal and make any cuts or adds. Then it is approved by the county council.

We have a big job. Our total budget is $1.1 billion. Much of those funds are pass-through dollars, so our general fund is around $304 million. It has been a lot of work going through a budget of that size in under a month. I initiated several three-hour budget workshops with our council fiscal staff. It was great to have some of the other council member's policy advisors join us. We need to look at a better process for next year so we aren't cramming all this info in such a short period of time.

There are a few principles I used as I made decisions on the budget. As I looked at programs and projects, I asked myself these things:

1. Is this the role of government?

2. Will the investment in this program/project save taxpayer dollars down the road?

3. Is this something SL County residents need and expect from county government?

4. Are there other priorities that take precedence?

Prior to our council meeting yesterday, I worked with Councilman Richard Snelgrove and we put together a list of 39 potential cuts. My list of cuts equaled $4 million. We are still working through the budget, but so far we've cut about $1.4 million. We've also made it clear to everyone that the council IS looking at the budget and scrutinizing spending. Our democrat colleague, Councilmember Jenny Wilson, also proposed some cuts. It was good to see the legislative process at work.

Our number one priority is public safety. Since the jail is the single largest drain on the budget, it is something I believe we need to closely scrutinize. We are seeing an increase in jail bookings and because we don't have room for everyone, we let 600 people per month leave. Operating more jail beds is very expensive, so as a county we are looking for ways to reform criminal justice. That may include having a receiving center with a magistrate who can quickly make decisions on where people need to be. It may include more detox beds so we aren't using precious jail space for those who just need an overnight detox. It may include opening another pod at Oxbow Jail. It may include more mental health and substance abuse programs to rehabilitate, so people don't keep cycling in and out of jail. It could also include building a community corrections center to help us do this.

Because there are so many needs in this arena, the council considered extending a tax that was instituted for the jail bond 20 years ago. The bond is paid off at the end of this year and would free up $9.4 million for criminal justice reform. Extending this tax would not increase the amount a resident will pay next year, but they would not receive an $18 decrease.

Another priority that I believe was not properly funded in the mayor's budget, is our county IT. We are still living in the early 90's at SL County when it comes to IT. It is something that affects every department. We are at risk currently and I would rather forgo some of the unnecessary projects so we can fund what we need. Adequate funding for indigent defense is another priority. 

Next Tuesday we dive back into the budget. We won't be rubber-stamping the mayor's budget, but will develop our own fiscal priorities as the policy-makers for Salt Lake County.

Want to Volunteer with Salt Lake County??

Photo taken by Tom Smart, Deseret News

Every year Salt Lake County Volunteer Services presents its annual report to the Salt Lake County Council. With Utah being the number one state in the nation for volunteering (nine years running), Salt Lake County relies heavily on volunteers for everything from cleaning up invasive species along the Jordan River to helping out with Meals on Wheels.

Salt Lake County offers residents 70 different programs and 100 boards and commissions on which to serve. You can find more information about how to serve on one of those boards here. On just those programs, boards, and commissions, over 23,800 people volunteered their time and talents. Those 23,800 people spent over 719,700 hours volunteering! That’s the equivalent of about 346 full time county employees and a savings of $16,625,539.

While these numbers are fantastic, the number of volunteers is slightly declining in Salt Lake County, following a nation-wide trend. The “baby-boomer” generation is moving from a position of assisting others to needing assistance. Because baby-boomers were such a key source of volunteers, we are in need of younger generations to step in and replace the aging generation. Volunteering offers the to learn a new skill, add additional meaning and purpose, perform a higher good, and expand personal horizons. To make a difference in our community visit the Salt Lake County Volunteer Services website at www.slco.org/volunteer.

ZAP focus: Taylorsville Bennion Heritage Center

Written by the Taylorsville Historic Preservation Committee

In February 2002, the City of Taylorsville purchased the remaining two and one half acres of the Jones Dairy Farm including the Jones family home, and the property became the Taylorsville Bennion Heritage Center (TBHC).  Located on historic 4800 South, the TBHC started out with a historic house museum in the Jones family home which was built in 1906. The museum has been decorated to reflect what a home might have looked like in the early nineteen hundreds.  This is a hand’s on museum; there are no roped off areas you cannot explore.

Over the years the TBHC has grown to include several out buildings.  Behind the museum is a three car garage filled with more historic artifacts.  Also on the property are a replica one-room school house, a replica blacksmith shop, a farm implement barn, an outhouse, and the old dairy store which is now available to be rented for gatherings such as birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, wedding receptions, family reunions, meetings, play rehearsals, piano recitals, and many other uses.
Since the beginning, the Taylorsville Bennion Heritage Center has been a community asset.  The Deseret News in February 2002 called it “the city’s historic treasure” and “a local historic landmark”.  The members of the Taylorsville Historic Preservation Committee, who operate this facility on behalf of the City of Taylorsville, believes in partnering with other standing city committees as well as other community resources for the benefit of all.  The Taylorsville community gardens are housed at the TBHC, and they run out of space every year because so many people would like to have a small plot of land to grow vegetables.

Several community members lease space from the city to house their farm animals in the barns at the TBHC.  They make these animals are available for viewing and petting by visitors.  In return the visitors get a small taste of what farm life was like in early Taylorsville including the sounds and smells.  The Taylorsville Arts Council uses the dairy store to rehearse their annual musical, and  many scouts have earned their eagle because of projects at the TBHC.

The museum houses artifacts from some of the earliest settlers of Taylorsville.  In the Carpenter shop are wood working tools which belonged to Archibald Frame, Sr. and Jr., and may well have been used to build the Jones family home and the Salt Lake Temple.  In the scout display is the sash showing the badges earned by the 2nd person in the Salt Lake Valley to receive his eagle.  Many of the tools in the blacksmith shop were belonged to William Deverall – owner of one of the first blacksmith shops in Taylorsville.  On display is a square grand piano built in about 1895 and originally owned by Adam S. Bennion, and a pump organ that was used in the first LDS Ward house in the Bennion area.   There are wedding dresses from some of our early settlers.

The Zoo, Arts and Parks (ZAP) grants received by the TBHC have been a key element in our efforts to spread the word of us to the community.  Since 2009, these grants have paid for the bus service to bring elementary school classes to our facility on a field trip.  We have had from 1500 to 2000 students plus their teachers, aides, and parent volunteers visit our facility each year for the past 7 years.  We are pleased to be able to offer this program again this year.  Every year, we have some students who are so excited about their visit that they bring their parents back for a more in depth, hands-on experience.  Many of the same teachers bring their classes every year.  They even start scheduling their spring visits in September.  Because of the success of this program, we are able to expose many more residents of Taylorsville to our unique facility and hopefully ignite in them an interest in the history of their community.  This is an invaluable opportunity.

The ZAP grants also allow us to provide handouts to the teachers such as twenty questions, word search puzzles, and other activities that the students can do back in the classroom to reinforce what they learned on the field trip.  These teacher packets also include a bibliography of history and other related books that teachers can check out from the museum.  We also include written histories of Taylorsville such as the booklet, “History of the Jones Dairy House in Taylorsville, Utah”.
We are very appreciative of the support of our city’s elected officials, the members of our community, and the ZAP organization.  We could not function without this continued support.