On Tuesday evening, SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall proposed a $512 million budget to the City Council. It includes more $$ for policing, the city’s Westside, and pedestrian safety. While it actually costs ~$2 billion to run our city, the General Fund is the portion of the budget funded by residents (think: property tax, sales tax, fines).
It’s our money, it’s our business!
But First: The Economy
Citing a volatile stock market, tariffs, and decreasing consumer sentiment, the mayor called this year’s budget “nearly entirely flat” aka just the basics. So why is it up 6.7% from last year? “This increase is driven almost entirely by inflation and the rising cost of maintaining the services and infrastructure we already have,” says the mayor.
Rates are going up for water (about $10/month for low water users) and waste & recycling (about $3/month for residential bins). Expect property taxes to go up next budget season.
Big Line Items 💰
- $134.9 million: Police department
- $54.8 million: Fire department
- $5.2 million: New police, fire, and street maintenance vehicles
- $5 million: Deeply affordable housing
- $3 million: Phase one of The Green Loop, the block right outside City Hall
- $2.3 million: Vision Zero safety improvements to three major streets: Redwood Road, 900 West, and 800 South
- $1 million: More electric vehicle charging stations
Medium Line Items 💰
- $680K: Paving the Rose Park Lane Trail
- $500K: Overnight security at several city parks
- $400K: Renovating the Fisher Mansion and finding new tenants
- $200K: Starter funds for the 2034 Winter Olympic Games
- $120K: Utah Transit Authority’s On Demand service
Where You Come In
The SLC Council has until June 30 to vote on a final budget. Until then, they’re taking feedback from residents.
📝 Email council.comments@slc.gov.
📞 Leave a voice message at (801) 535-7654.
🏙️ Attend a public hearing on Tuesday, May 20 or Tuesday, June 3 at 7 p.m.
