It’s not every day you see Republicans and Democrats join forces to advocate for tax increases.
But that’s what happened Friday, when a bipartisan group of high-ranking state and local leaders held a press conference at the Utah State Capitol and asked voters in Salt Lake County to fund public safety improvements and changes. It asked for approval of a $507 million public safety bond intended to provide for. Utah’s most populous county jail system.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson (D) supported the bond, along with most Republican and Democratic members of the Salt Lake County Legislature. Several senior officials from Gov. Spencer Cox’s conservative administration also attended, including senior adviser Mike Mower and homelessness coordinator and former Senate President Wayne Niederhauser.
They pitched the program as a way to not only lower crime and recidivism rates in a growing county that hasn’t increased jail capacity in more than 20 years, but also to fill a gap that is exacerbating the state’s homelessness problem.
“I think we all have some reluctance to ask the public to do more than this,” Wilson said, acknowledging county taxpayers who may already be feeling the pinch.
But she and even some of the most ardent Republicans on the Salt Lake County Legislature say the fiscally responsible move is to address growing public safety needs now, rather than wait for the problem to get much worse. He said that.
“You can pay now, do it right, and pay more later,” Wilson said.
Bond opponents, including Wilson’s Republican challenger Erin Rider, argue that the bonds are too expensive and will lead to future tax increases for Salt Lake County’s already hefty nearly $2 billion budget.
What will the $507 million bond pay for?
If approved by Salt Lake County voters, the county would take on $507 million in debt over the next five years through two 20-year bond issues. The average homeowner in Salt Lake County, who owns a home worth about $602,000, will end up paying about $59 a year (or about $5 a month) over 25 years. For a business or vacation home of the same value, your property tax bill would increase by about $107 per year (or about $9 per month).
County officials say the $507 million bond ballot measure, if passed, would provide funding for:
Salt Lake County’s total jail capacity will increase by 444 beds, increasing from 2,455 beds to 2,899 beds. The existing aging 368-bed Salt Lake County Oxbow Jail at 3148 S. 1100 West will be closed. County officials will rebuild capacity at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail, located at 3415 W. 900 South St. in South Salt Lake, in exchange for costly repairs needed to keep the facility open. With the Oxbow closure and Metro Jail expansion, this bond will fund a total of 812 newly constructed prison beds. Expanding the number of mental health treatment beds in prisons from 88 to 160. Build a 100-bed “re-entry unit” or “step-down” facility to help people reintegrate into society after leaving prison. Infrastructure improvements to the jail and Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Building. The construction of the Justice and Accountability Center is intended to serve as a new low-security facility for low-level offenders and as an alternative to prison for those who have committed “nuisance crimes” rather than violent crimes. did. The Justice and Accountability Center has increased access to mental health services, drug treatment, job training, housing services, and other supports. Salt Lake County’s decades-long prison crisis
The proposed $507 million bond was issued as Salt Lake County struggles to address declining jail capacity for more than two decades. In 2000, the new $135 million Salt Lake County Metro Jail opened and has been operating at virtually maximum capacity ever since.
Former Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder has long warned that the jail needs hundreds more beds. When the new Metro Jail opened, the aging Oxbow Jail sat abandoned for years, and while county leaders sought to increase the jail’s capacity, they were unable to come up with the necessary maintenance and operating costs. While it was not there, it was sometimes partially established.
According to the county, both Oxbow and Metro Jail currently require at least $165 million in “overdue maintenance and capital improvements,” including Oxbow’s $90 million It contains more than $1,000 and its useful life can only be extended for up to 15 years.
Pictured is the 2024 Salt Lake County ballot to approve or deny a $507 million public safety bond. (Kyle Dunphy/Utah News-Dispatch)
So county leaders instead want to take a more comprehensive approach. Passage of this bond will work in tandem with Salt Lake County’s recently adopted five-year plan to improve human services, homelessness, and the criminal justice system.
“With this, what we’re looking at is our future. Our future of growth. Our future of what we do for people in need. Helping with housing. , to help them find work,” Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said. “We really need help. The growth in this county will continue. We haven’t added any jail beds in the last 23 years. We’re maxed out and we need this solution. is.”
Salt Lake County Councilman Jim Bradley, a Democrat who has held the position since 2000, said Salt Lake County “hasn’t added a single bed to the jail” since 2001.
“During that time, 300,000 people moved to Salt Lake County,” Bradley said. “The math doesn’t add up. Are we better off in terms of security, or are we at risk? This is a critical question.”
conservative support
Republican Salt Lake County legislators, including Laurie Stringham, Amy Winder Newton, Dave Alvord and Dia Theodore, also appealed to Salt Lake County voters to support the bond. Newton called this “the most fiscally responsible way to spend tax dollars and hold people accountable.”
“We’ve been talking for years about how to expand the prison,” Newton said. “We saved $100 million over the last few years to ultimately use it for this project, so we need this bond to fund the rest.”
Alvord said he supports the system, especially to improve “law and order” in Salt Lake County. “It is extremely important that when our residents call 911, someone is available to answer, and that we provide them with the resources they need to respond and bring justice to our community.” he said.
At Friday’s press conference, several mayors also voiced their support, including Holladay Mayor Robert Dahl and West Jordan Mayor Dirk Burton.
“Can you imagine how you would feel if you were a police officer and you arrested someone and you saw them out on the street again the next day?” Barton said. “Or can you imagine the opposite, if you work in a prison and someone is released and comes back to prison a month later? We need to change the way we have been doing things. … can improve and make life better.”
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Business advocacy groups such as the Downtown Alliance and the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce also support the bond.
More, Cox’s senior adviser, said the governor’s administration is making “a critical investment in community well-being that addresses complex challenges such as public safety, homelessness, mental and behavioral health, and housing.” “I strongly support security deposits.”
“Of particular importance is the development of the Center for Justice and Accountability, which will provide therapeutic services, job training and housing opportunities,” More said. This approach would not only reduce the number of people entering the criminal justice system, but would also provide more cost-effective and humane solutions to supporting people suffering from homelessness and mental health issues. . ”
What will Salt Lake County leaders do if voters don’t sign the bond? Wilson told reporters they have bipartisan support and support from Utah’s major newspapers, the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune. He said he was “optimistic” that with the support of the editorial board, “we will be able to get this issue across the finish line.”
But if it doesn’t pass, she said, “we will regroup if necessary as early as the day after” the election.
“But we really need this investment,” Wilson reiterated. “We hope the public understands that.”
Chatting after a press conference urging Salt Lake County voters to approve a $507 million public safety bond aimed at improving the state’s criminal justice system, held at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City on October 25, 2024. State and Salt Lake County leaders. (Katie McKellar/Utah News-Dispatch) Pieces of the evolving homelessness system puzzle
Utah Homeless Services Commission Chairman Randy Shumway also attended Friday’s press conference, expressing bipartisan support and commitment to addressing “the fundamental challenges behind criminal behavior,” including mental and behavioral health. He said he supports the public safety bond because of county leaders’ focus on the effort. and substance use. Finally, Shumway said he supports it because it would invest in helping people “reintegrate into the community.”
“We support public safety bonds as an important step toward breaking the cycle of incarceration and homelessness in Utah, making our communities safer, and improving the lives of our most vulnerable residents.” Mr. Wei said.
The proposed bond comes as state leaders work on a separate but related effort to strengthen and rebuild Utah’s homeless system. Using $25 million set aside by the Utah Legislature for new “emergency shelters” in 2024, Niederhauser spent much of the year building future “centralized, innovative shelters” that can house up to 1,200 people. We spent a lot of time searching for at least 30 acres of land for a new campus. We support people experiencing homelessness and provide on-site support services.
Utah’s Homeless Commission is looking for a “concentration campus” with up to 1,200 beds. What now?
The Salt Lake Tribune reported this week that the former prison is on the list of possible sites for its centralized campus if voters approve $507 million in bail and oxbow shutters, but Shumway said He told the outlet that it was “very unlikely” that it would be selected. That’s because Niederhauser and his office have added other potential locations to the list.
In an interview with Utah News-Dispatch after Friday’s press conference, Niederhauser declined to give a definitive answer on whether Oxbow is still on the list of centralized campuses.
“Obviously there is a list,” Niederhauser acknowledged. “However, it is not complete. We will continue to consider all properties. Our list will continue to expand.”
The state Department of Homeless Services has a Dec. 15 deadline to submit three viable options to the Utah Homeless Services Commission for consideration. Niederhauser said he does not expect that list of three locations to be ready by the Nov. 14 board meeting. After that, the board’s next regular meeting is not scheduled until Jan. 15. It is not clear when or if the three priority sites will be open to the public before the board selects the final site.
The State Homeless Services Commission has directed state leaders to build a new homeless campus by Oct. 1, 2025.
Niederhauser said the efforts to ensure public safety and build a “centralized campus” for Utah’s homeless are “sort of related,” but not mutually exclusive. But he said state leaders are hopeful voters will pass the bond to increase the chances of success for the centralized campus.
“That’s why I’m here today to support that,” Niederhauser said. “Diversion and mental health. This plan includes a housing component attached to the bond. These are all important elements in making the homeless system more responsive and more successful.”
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