SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 3, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall drew several rounds of applause as she gave her first State of the City address Monday night, focusing mainly on climate change, growth, and plans to mitigate the plight of the city’s homeless population.
“We’re going to kick things into high gear,” she told the crowd who came to hear her at Meadowlark Elementary School.
Green and sustainable
Stating that the “city has to be green,” Mendenhall spoke about reducing and improving emissions sources. By April 16, she said, every decision made by the city will be made with an eye toward sustainability.
“We’re prepared to take bold action,” she told the audience.
The plan is for ordinances to be updated or drafted to preserve Salt Lake City’s natural spaces, plant more trees, and mandate that any development funded by city money will be all electric and emission-free by 2023.
Regarding the controversial inland port, Mendenhall said, “it’s coming, and that’s why it’s imperative to have the best outcome.” This would include requiring that the inland port be carbon-neutral.
‘Tickets for transit’
In an effort to get more people to use public transportation, “tickets for transit” will begin April 4, with every ticket for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 190th General Conference being accepted as a ticket for public transit. This has been worked out by the city, the Church and Utah Transit Authority. The plan is to eventually make “tickets for transit” available for a variety of events in the city.
Homelessness
Addressing the homeless situation, Mendenhall acknowledged the shortage of affordable housing and homeless shelters.
So, Salt Lake City will be adding “more than 2,100 housing units affordable at less than 100% of the area’s median income,” she said, as loud applause erupted from the audience.
Mendenhall said the city will be taking a housing-focused approach to homelessness, and will be exploring ways to solicit ongoing feedback from community members.
Within the next year, Salt Lake City will be looking at homeless services, the concepts of shared housing and tiny-home communities, and will work with service providers on “how we can better communicate with the homeless about services.”
“Cities, counties and our state must work together to address the issue of ‘shelter resistant’ individuals,” she said.
Equity, diversity, inclusion
In regard to hiring practices in Salt Lake City, Mendenhall said, “We’re investing in the development of a citywide equity plan.” This will include “equity, diversity and inclusion in our hiring and compensation.”
Additionally, the city administration will have a “comprehensive Spanish-speaking resource in place,” and an “inclusive and accessible budget process.”
