This is your daily news rundown for Tuesday, August 13. In this edition:
- Salt Lake County is considering a bond to address homelessness and public safety
- A pilot program will guarantee certain students admission to the University of Utah
- The professional hockey practice facility being built in in Sandy won't use taxpayer money or close nearby shops
- The Colorado River's biggest water user will be paid over half a billion dollars to use less
- Providence City looks to protect students and historic trees
- Utah's housing market is at the state's most unaffordable point in history
- As Moab approves a property tax increase, other cities across Utah are looking to do the same
Salt Lake County considers bond to address homelessness, public safety
3:28 p.m.
Salt Lake County is considering a $507 million bond to help address homelessness, mental health, public safety needs, and substance abuse.
The 21-year bond would combine Salt Lake County’s two jails into one. It would also build a “Justice and Accountability Center” that includes more bed space, modernized mental health facilities, and a transitional unit for those soon to be released.
According to a presentation prepared for Salt Lake County Council members, it would cost about $75 per day to stay at the new center, $60 less than the average jail stay per day.
The plan is part of a proposal to tackle issues like homelessness and substance abuse that Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson has pushed in recent months.
If the Salt Lake County Council votes in favor of the bond, voters would decide whether to approve it on the November ballot.
New program guarantees certain students admission to University of Utah
3:28 p.m.
The University of Utah announced a new pilot program on Monday that would guarantee admission to students who meet certain criteria — without those students needing to apply to the university.
High school seniors who have a GPA of at least 3.5 and have taken certain classes will be eligible for the program, called “Utah Direct.” They will receive a letter from the university guaranteeing their admission to the university, should they choose to apply.
The program is being tested in Canyons, Davis, Granite, and Provo School Districts starting this year. The university said about 5,000 high school students in the state will be eligible for guaranteed admission.
The University of Utah’s admission application opened on Aug. 1, with the deadline for early action and merit scholarship consideration on Dec. 1.
New hockey practice facility won’t use taxpayer money or close shops
3:28 p.m.
The new professional hockey practice facility in Sandy will not use taxpayer money or close nearby shops, according to the Sandy City Mayor’s Office.
A portion of the South Town Mall is being transformed to make the new facility in a deal with the Smith Entertainment Group.
Jim Olson, the facility’s project lead and an executive with Smith Entertainment Group, said they won’t initially touch any of the existing mall areas currently being operated at a groundbreaking event on Monday
The facility is expected to be ready for the Utah Hockey Club to use in fall 2025.
Colorado River's biggest water user will be paid to use less
3:28 p.m.
The Colorado River’s biggest water user will get more than half a billion dollars to use less.
The Imperial Irrigation District in Southern California agreed to leave some of its water in Lake Mead over each of the next three years. In exchange, the federal government will pay the farm district with money from the Inflation Reduction Act.
Some opponents of the new water saving deal say it was rushed and didn’t leave time for public comment. They also say sending less water through the river could hurt wildlife habitats and air quality because of windblown dust from dry lakebeds.
The water cutbacks come at a tense time for the Colorado River as policymakers work to rein in demand in response to climate change.
Providence City looks to protect students and historic trees
9:59 a.m.
The City of Providence is considering ways to protect students walking to the local elementary school without destroying historic trees.
Concerned parents say a sidewalk would help protect students walking or riding bikes to school, especially during winter months when piles of plowed snow force children to walk in the road, a road lined by tress planted by early settlers in the mid to late 1800’s.
The city has the funds to add a sidewalk but will wait for an arborist to evaluate the maple and London plane trees before their meeting later this month to discuss ways to protect the plants and pedestrians.
A $300,000 grant from the Utah Department of Transportation for the Safe Routes to Schools Program would help pay for a sidewalk on the west side of 100 East, between Center Street and 300 South.
Utah housing market at most unaffordable point in state's history
9:59 a.m.
Research from a Utah lender looks at the cost of housing now, compared to the past.
According to a study provided by Zions Bank senior economist Robert Spendlove and team, an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau and Zillow data found that today's housing market is "the most unaffordable in Utah history."
Spendlove says a typical Utah family needs to spend 5 1/2 times their annual income to buy a house, compared to just over 3 times their annual income a decade ago.
Spendlove says 72% of Utah homeowners have a mortgage rate of 4% or lower — the greatest share of homeowners in any state.
Moab City approves property tax increase, other Utah cities look to do the same
9:59 a.m.
The Moab City Council has approved a property tax increase for the first time since 1991.
The new proposed tax for the owner of a home worth $519,000, which is average in the city, would go from nothing to $613.43.
City officials say the tax will generate an estimated $3 million a year, to be used to maintain city roads, buildings, and other infrastructure.
The Cache County town of Clarkston is proposing a property tax hike of 63.6%, which would boost taxes on a home worth $429,000 by $121.99 to $313.81.
The Box Elder County town of Deweyville is proposing a property tax hike of 50.1%, increasing taxes on a $469,000 home by $57.01 to $170.76.
