Salt Lake City Council adopts budget amendments and declares September Suicide Prevention Month 

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The Salt Lake City Council met Tuesday night and adopted a partial budget amendment in addition to beginning the process of reestablishing a Central Business Improvement Area. The Council also recognized September as National Suicide Prevention and Action Month and announced that their next formal meeting will be held on the west side.

Budget Amendment
The Council held a public hearing on a budget amendment for fiscal year 2024-25 before partially adopting the amendment.

Budget Amendment No. 1 included 25 proposed items, amounting to more than $444 million in expenditures. Of that amount, $400 million was proposed for a short-term line of credit for the airport, which will be spent on the airport’s terminal redevelopment project.

The Council, however, did not adopt this item in their vote. They will consider this loan at a future date.

Items the Council did vote to adopt included funding to accelerate park projects, issue small business loans and facilitate the city prosecutor’s office in its transition to a city attorney’s office.

Kasey O’Connor was the only commenter to speak at the hearing. He complained about the lack of maintenance on a road strip on Rose Park Lane.

“This city, with the millions of dollars that they budget and spend—and here they are going to budget for parks and all this other crap—doesn't have enough money to mow a four-foot wide strip,” O’Connor said.

After closing the public hearing, the Council voted to adopt five items in Budget Amendment No. 1. In addition to the items mentioned above, the Council funded a reimbursement for damage sustained to the Dee Glen Tennis Bubble and adopted an annual budget clean-up. The clean-up addressed the accidental absence of funding for a new, full-time financial analyst position in the city’s Finance Department.

Other items in the budget amendment—including funding for new Public Lands maintenance projects and for pre-development work and demolition of the Fleet Block—will be considered at a future Council meeting.

More information on this budget amendment can be found at tinyurl.com/SLCFY25.

Suicide Prevention Month
The Council unanimously adopted a joint ceremonial resolution with Mayor Erin Mendenhall recognizing September as National Suicide Prevention and Action Month. According to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, suicide was the leading cause of death among Utahns aged 10 to 24 in 2022. It was the second leading cause of death for Utahns aged 45 to 64.

“Salt Lake City encourages all residents to familiarize themselves with mental health education and treatment resources and recognize how a healthy mind can help us better care for ourselves, our families and our communities," Councilmember Darin Mano read from the resolution.

The resolution also pointed out several mental health resources available to Utahns, including the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, LiveOnUtah.org, the SafeUT App, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The Trevor Project, National Alliance on Mental Illness Utah and the Volunteers of America.

Following the resolution’s adoption, Alyssa Burnham, suicide prevention coordinator with the Salt Lake County Health Department, said a few words.

“Suicide is a profound and complex public health issue that has unfortunately touched so many of our lives,” Burnham said. “Just like with any other health concern, it's important to educate ourselves about it so that we may move from awareness to action.”

Those experiencing suicidal ideations may exhibit warning signs. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, these signs include withdrawing from friends, giving away important items or making a will, using drugs or alcohol more often, displaying extreme mood swings, eating or sleeping less or taking dangerous risks. To access the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988.

In addition, Salt Lake County offers suicide prevention training. Information on these training courses can be found on the Salt Lake County website.

“We all have a role we can play in preventing suicides,” Burnham said. “Establishing suicide prevention as a priority for all Salt Lake City residents is a positive step towards empowering the community with the knowledge and skills to prevent suicide reduce stigma and ultimately save lives.”

Central Business Improvement Area
The Council held a public hearing on the renewal of the Central Business Improvement Area (CBIA). The hearing marks the start of a 60-day period in which property owners in the area’s boundaries may submit written comments on the area to the Council.

The CBIA is designed to fund marketing, promotions and advocacy for various initiatives downtown. The Salt Lake City CBIA roughly includes properties between 300 East and Interstate 15, and between 400 South and North Temple.

The city must reestablish the CBIA every three years. Currently, services provided through a CBIA are contracted through the Downtown Alliance. Businesses in the CBIA must pay an assessment fee, which is how the area gains revenue to fund benefits.

The Council must take action on this resolution by April 2025.

West Side Meeting
At the beginning of the meeting, the Council announced that they would be holding their Sept. 17 meeting on the west side. The formal meeting will take place at 7 p.m. and dinner will be provided at 5:30 p.m.

“This is a big deal for the west side,” said Councilmember Alejandro Puy. “We're very excited to have it back on the west side.”

The meeting will take place at the Sorenson Center. Spanish and ASL interpreters will also be present, but there will not be an option to attend the meeting virtually.