Read the full transcript of Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s prepared State of the City remarks, delivered Tuesday at Woodbine Food Hall in the Granary District.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall gives her State of the City Address at Woodbine Food Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023.This is a full transcript of Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s prepared State of the City remarks, delivered Tuesday at Woodbine Food Hall in the Granary District:Thank you for being here with me tonight and thanks to members of the Salt Lake City Council for joining us.
Woodbine… The Granary… this space is emblematic of our city - a place that is really no stranger to reinvention and evolution. A place that grows with, and for the needs of its community. A place that continues to change, while underneath it all it, staying true to itself as the city we’ve always known and loved.What an undeniably exciting time of possibility and potential for our city.
Instead of moving on from Outdoor Retailer and its $46 million annual investment in our region, we worked together, showcased our city’s unrelenting commitment to environmental stewardship, and we won them back for new shows that started this month. Salt Lake City is the fastest-growing hub for Delta nationwide and their $3 billion in commitments prove their dedication to this market. They are a key partner for our new airport, which will see an additional five gates open this May and 17 new gates open in November.If the work and outcomes of the last year and beyond have taught us anything, it’s that Salt Lake City is in a constant forward motion, and there’s just no looking back.
Did you know, one hour operating a gas-powered lawn mower produces the same pollution as driving a state-of-the-art car 45 miles? I’m also a firm believer in leading by example, and one of the ways our city can do that is by shifting the electricity used by the city government to clean, renewable sources. In 2021, Salt Lake City forged a partnership to build an 80-megawatt solar farm in Tooele County, which will generate enough electricity to power 80 percent of the government’s usage.
We responded by negotiating a nationally unprecedented partnership with 14 other local governments and Rocky Mountain Power to form a brand-new cooperative agency that will bring net-100 percent renewable electricity to every home, every business — every energy consumer in the city. The Community Renewable Energy Agency will make it possible for everyone in Salt Lake City to eliminate their dependence on energy from fossil fuels by 2030 or before.
When I ran for this job I promised that our taxpayers alone would not pay for the city’s growth, and that we would pursue new funding sources to help fuel our growth. This is happening in many ways, one being to help grow our EV infrastructure. Our ongoing work to improve our air quality also includes the now-3,000 additional trees we have planted in West side neighborhoods over the last three years. Those trees are about so much more than beautification, and about more than heat reduction. Those trees are growing up to serve on the front line of our war on pollution.
Tonight, I’m happy to report that construction on the first phase of Glendale Park will begin by this fall. Our officers, 911 dispatchers, and firefighters have embraced new training on engaging with those with invisible disabilities. The impact of their work is saving lives, bringing more de-escalation to dangerous situations, and a growing understanding of those we serve. I’m so proud of our 911, Fire and Police Departments dedication to serve and evolve with our growing city.
Our work is far from done, and my promise to you is that we will be unrelenting as we continue working to make our city safer and more just for everyone. As a city, we won’t stop working to make our streets safer. We’ve taken steps like reducing the speed limit on residential streets from 25 to 20 miles per hour and creating a Safe Streets Task Force to identify traffic-violence hot spots and recommend corrective actions.
My goal is to have the safest streets in America. Our residents, businesses and visitors deserve nothing less.There is no issue I spend more time on, no issue that inspires stronger feelings, and no issue on which it has been more important to cultivate strong, productive partnerships with local, county, and state partners.
And together, we’re finally finding the way to services and housing, not the cycle of incarceration and homelessness, for those with severe mental illness who live on our streets today. We should not be intimidated because we have approximately 400 individuals in our county, 700 total in our state who don’t fit in our shelter system. That’s compared to more than 1,000 people in Idaho, nearly 3,000 in Colorado, 4,200 in Nevada, 5,500 in Arizona, and 170,000 in California.I’m not telling you that homelessness will ever be — nor has it ever been — completely erased.
To put that in perspective, Salt Lake City did not invest a dime in affordable housing before 2009, and what we’re investing this last year alone is more than we invested in the 10 years that followed combined. This will be the most innovative, equity-building housing model Utah has ever seen, creating at least 1,000 new units of very affordable housing and 500 resident-owned homes that will create equity-like nest eggs for people currently unable to access the housing market.
We will never surrender to gentrification and we will do everything we can to ensure that the people who make this city can continue to live in this city. The Legislature is planning to make this a major priority during this legislative session. I’ve spoken about it at length with Governor Cox, Speaker Wilson, and other state leaders and I know how important this is to them.History will judge us for the choices we make and don’t make right now. Five years is not a long time, so it won’t be our grandkids who judge us, or even our kids — we will be able to judge ourselves.We will not put our feet up and say ‘we’ve done enough.
Other communities needing to reduce water usage have tried to discourage usage through significant and permanent across-the-board increases that leave users no financial choice.Instead I will recommend to the Council that the city implement a temporary drought surcharge on the biggest water consumers to encourage reductions in outdoor watering.As drought conditions in the region improve, the surcharge would be reduced. As it worsens, the surcharge would increase.
All these pieces connect to empower an incredible future for Salt Lake City where we will take our vision for cleaner air and a stronger environment to the next level. A future with more community gardens and the city’s first urban orchard where residents who are hungry can pick fresh fruit and vegetables, free of charge,
A future where families fit in our city — literally and figuratively — because the city and our partners are building them in and helping them afford to thrive. Unlike other cities who have been unable to sufficiently rebuild their police departments from the mass resignations of 2020 and 2021…Unlike other cities whose economies haven’t modernized and prepared for the high-tech future…
No. Instead, our thinking needs to get bigger, too. Our creativity, our ingenuity, our resourcefulness, and most importantly: our commitment to staying connected needs to grow. When I became mayor, we shifted the priority of the city’s economic development department from a focus on attracting new businesses, to supporting our existing businesses. It’s absolutely vital to the health of our city and is helping create a more attractive, inclusive economy.
Of course I’m sad to see the Bees go. Their impact on our city’s history and identity these last 30 years hasn’t been so much about what happened on the field, but about the memories we made in the stands… with our kids, with our friends… with Bumble. The departure of the ballclub gives us the chance to reimagine the neighborhood beyond the streets and sidewalks, building on the transportation and public safety improvements with an even bigger vision that will benefit more residents, more businesses, and more of the city.
In the coming months, along with Salt Lake City, Zions Bank, and Intermountain Health as founding partners, this innovative and collaborative public-private partnership will generate investment dollars that will give life to programs and opportunities that build human capital, improve social determinants of health and economic mobility, and truly lift the entire community.
Over the next few years, we’re going to focus more on economic “infill” — preparing vacant city-owned properties in our downtown and Westside for commercial development not exclusively for housing, but to attract economic investment. We don’t just want the Delta Center — it’s fun to be able to call it that again — we don’t just want the Delta Center to be a place you go to see a Jazz game. We’re building a district around it where fans are surrounded by opportunities to have fun before and after a Jazz game. Before and after a ballet at Capitol Theater, a Broadway show at the Eccles, or checking out the latest exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Imagine a vibrant downtown Olympic Medals plaza that becomes a permanent public park and concert venue.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'There's no stopping us': Salt Lake mayor outlines bright future for capital citySalt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall argued in her State of the City address Tuesday that the city's decisions over the next five years may impact the city a century from now.
Read more »
Mayor Todd Gloria proposes ending COVID-19 Emergency and City Employee Vax Mandate -SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Nearly three years after the coronavirus pandemic started, Mayor Todd Gloria, City Attorney Mara Elliott and City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert Monday released a joint statement proposing to end the city’s COVID-19 emergency declaration and a city employee vaccine mandate. The city’s emergency declaration has been in effect since March 17, 2020, under then-Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s...
Read more »
Cleveland councilman urges Mayor Bibb to ban TikTok on city-issued devicesCleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek has introduced legislation urging Mayor Justin Bibb and his administration to ban TikTok on city-issued devices, which would fall into line with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s statewide ban.
Read more »
Mayor Gloria proposes ending COVID-19 emergency, city employee vax mandateThe city's emergency declaration has been in effect since March 17, 2020, under then-Mayor Kevin Faulconer's administration.
Read more »
San Diego Mayor Proposes Ending City COVID-19 Emergency DeclarationSan Diego City Council is set to vote on ending the state of emergency due to COVID during its meeting on Tuesday.
Read more »