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[1:02] » Few minutes early, so welcome everybody
[1:04] to the Salt Lake City work session
[1:06] for May 5th, 2026. Our meetings are
[1:09] public. Uh and you're welcome to join us
[1:12] in person or by watching from the
[1:14] Council agenda page, Zoom, or YouTube.
[1:17] Uh we hope you will continue to join us
[1:19] in whichever manner you feel the most
[1:21] comfortable. This is a work session
[1:23] meeting uh during which there's not
[1:25] public comment. You can join us tonight
[1:27] at 7:00 p.m. our formal meeting to share
[1:30] your comments. Of course, we welcome
[1:32] feedback anytime by mail at P.O. Box
[1:36] 145476
[1:38] Salt Lake City, Utah 84114.
[1:41] You can also email us at council
[1:44] .comments@slc.gov.
[1:48] You can also call our 24-hour
[1:50] phone line 801-535-7654.
[1:55] Comments we receive on agenda
[1:57] topics are shared with the council with
[1:59] council members and post posted in our
[2:02] website
[2:03] at slc.gov/council.
[2:06] Our first agenda item is
[2:10] the an ordinance for lost and
[2:12] misled property at airport text
[2:15] amendments. We're going to welcome at
[2:17] the table Nick Torbett, council deputy
[2:18] director,
[2:20] Bill Wyatt,
[2:21] maybe not, council
[2:23] executive director of the airports,
[2:25] Trevor Anderson, airport operations
[2:26] director, Paul Nielsen, senior city
[2:28] attorney. And Nick
[2:33] All right, thank you, Mr. Chair. This
[2:34] briefing is about an ordinance that
[2:36] would amend city code pertaining to lost
[2:39] and misled property at the airports.
[2:41] The recommended changes are necessary to
[2:43] comply with Senate Bill 172, which was
[2:45] passed this 2026 general session, and to
[2:48] codify the process by which Salt Lake
[2:50] City Department of Airports disposes of
[2:52] misled property left at the airport.
[2:56] Uh, there will be a public hearing on
[2:57] this on May 19th.
[2:59] With that, I'll turn the time over to
[3:00] Paul. Uh, thank you. Um, Mr. Wyatt
[3:03] couldn't make it and
[3:05] Mr. Anderson
[3:07] is at a conference, so we have general
[3:09] Jennifer Kaufman, who runs the airport's
[3:11] lost and found operation with us today.
[3:13] And let me just note that it is unusual
[3:15] for
[3:16] one of the city attorneys to be part of
[3:18] the presentation, but a lot of this
[3:21] effort is really sort of the legal
[3:23] nitty-gritty technical stuff that is
[3:26] probably not terribly interesting, but
[3:28] um
[3:30] Uh, I've I've been involved in the
[3:32] process for a little over 2 years now,
[3:35] and
[3:36] I
[3:36] whatever Jennifer wants to add to that.
[3:40] It's been a a long road to get what
[3:42] we've been operating under at the
[3:44] airport to be legal. And so, with Paul's
[3:47] assistance, uh, we started with going to
[3:49] the legislature and getting um that
[3:51] updated to reflect what we're actually
[3:53] doing at the airport and now we want to
[3:56] propose that the ordinances with the
[3:57] city also reflect that change.
[3:59] I'll note that the the law that was
[4:02] passed during this session goes into
[4:04] effect tomorrow. So
[4:06] we appreciate the council considering
[4:08] this on
[4:09] sort of a quick turnaround.
[4:11] I don't know if you want me to explain
[4:13] the
[4:14] the the technical details.
[4:16] Um
[4:18] we start with
[4:20] city ordinance
[4:22] reflects what had been the state code
[4:26] position and that is that only a law
[4:28] enforcement agency has anything to do
[4:30] with lost and found. We know the reality
[4:32] pretty much everywhere is
[4:35] something quite different. There are a
[4:37] lot of government entities that have
[4:39] lost and found operations, but the only
[4:41] one recognized by state law until
[4:43] tomorrow
[4:44] is that the
[4:45] one that deals with law enforcement.
[4:48] So technically when you receive
[4:52] when
[4:53] government receives lost property
[4:55] they're supposed to to involve law
[4:57] enforcement. Um
[5:00] part of that conversation
[5:04] deals with the fact that
[5:06] again until tomorrow the state law
[5:09] indicates that when a law enforcement
[5:10] officer even touches anything that's
[5:12] lost and found has to be entered as
[5:15] evidence. That doesn't make sense in
[5:16] most cases, but I think that that
[5:19] statute was developed at a time when we
[5:21] had a different idea of what we were
[5:22] dealing with when it comes to lost
[5:24] stuff.
[5:25] Um so we we had the legislature
[5:29] create an exception for
[5:32] law enforcement officers who are
[5:33] assigned to airports
[5:36] may touch the stuff in transition to and
[5:39] this was a concern of Commander
[5:41] Mitchell's. His his team is very uh by
[5:44] the book.
[5:46] They don't want to touch anything. They
[5:47] do not They They just out of that
[5:49] concern. Um and in the process, let me
[5:51] just back up a little bit uh as far as
[5:53] getting the legislation adopted, um we
[5:56] realized that it might be uh a little
[5:59] messy if we tried to involve every
[6:01] single airport or every other public
[6:04] entity. And so, we went with uh airports
[6:06] that are required to have a law
[6:08] enforcement presence per federal
[6:09] regulations. So, that involves Salt Lake
[6:11] City International, um Provo, Ogden, St.
[6:15] George, and Cedar City. And we uh had a
[6:19] collaborative effort with uh all of
[6:21] their airport uh operators. And so, this
[6:24] really only just applies to those
[6:26] airports um as opposed to every uh
[6:28] single regional or city airport.
[6:31] Um
[6:33] we cleaned up the language in uh chapter
[6:36] 2.10 uh to acknowledge that there two
[6:39] different tracks here when it comes to
[6:40] lost and found items. Um
[6:43] updated some of the uh the language uh
[6:46] in the code to reflect state code
[6:48] changes in the last little while.
[6:50] Um a lot of what
[6:53] you'll see in the ordinance uh is
[6:56] definitions, but the the meat of this is
[6:59] the
[7:00] um
[7:01] the language that uh would be in the new
[7:04] uh section 16.10.230,
[7:08] um which is all about the process um of
[7:11] receiving, inventorying, and uh and
[7:14] disposition. Um
[7:17] and that's kind of it. I don't know if
[7:18] you have any specific questions about
[7:20] how that happens.
[7:23] Councilmember Young.
[7:25] No, thank you. I appreciate this. And as
[7:27] someone who has had a child who lost
[7:29] property, I love our website. So, good
[7:32] good job in terms of like making it very
[7:35] clear on things that have been found. If
[7:37] you're ever curious, like what things
[7:39] get left at the airport? Very
[7:41] entertaining way to spend your time.
[7:43] » [laughter]
[7:43] » Like you're like, who knew? Who was
[7:45] traveling with that? Anyway, my key
[7:47] question was just related to like the
[7:49] sale of unclaimed property.
[7:51] Um I I appreciate, you know, funneling
[7:54] it back into a system to be thoughtful
[7:56] about not allocating additional taxpayer
[7:58] dollars where we might have, you know,
[7:59] the ability to cover. My question is, is
[8:02] that the standard practice of most
[8:04] airports?
[8:06] Um just curious kind of where that fits
[8:07] in the larger landscape.
[8:10] Um I don't know if we could answer what
[8:12] the practices of most airports, but I'll
[8:15] tell you there's there's a complication
[8:17] here, and that is
[8:19] um when
[8:21] nobody claims that property, it
[8:23] essentially becomes ours.
[8:26] Um and as the holder of the property,
[8:29] uh
[8:30] the Department of Airports is
[8:34] constrained by
[8:36] federal regulations regarding revenue
[8:38] diversion. So,
[8:40] it's considered our the the department's
[8:42] property,
[8:44] and we have to dispose of it a certain
[8:45] way. And it um
[8:47] really the only way that that we can
[8:49] feel comfortable, and when I say we, I
[8:51] mean the Department of Airports, um
[8:53] would feel comfortable with uh
[8:56] handling those proceeds is putting it
[8:57] back into
[8:59] the enterprise fund, which has to go
[9:03] to pay for the um the lost and found
[9:05] operation, and it's not going to cover
[9:07] that cost.
[9:09] Thank you. I appreciate that. And let me
[9:11] just say, I didn't want to make this
[9:12] personal, but uh Jennifer will tell you
[9:14] that I regularly have to reach out to
[9:17] her because uh colleagues lose things
[9:20] such as laptops, um
[9:23] » A shoe,
[9:25] uh
[9:26] a single yes, uh Jonathan Papelbon's.
[9:29] Um
[9:31] I had to pick up my father's laptop a
[9:33] few months ago, and then uh back in
[9:36] uh
[9:37] in February I had to reach out because I
[9:38] lost a pair of sunglasses.
[9:41] So, I am either the problem or the face
[9:45] of the problem.
[9:46] » You're contributing to the economy, so
[9:48] we appreciate it.
[9:49] Um yeah, no, thank you for that. I don't
[9:51] have any additional questions and think
[9:53] that um I I appreciate you going through
[9:56] a process by which to make sure our
[9:58] policies and procedures are in alignment
[10:00] with state code so that we don't run
[10:02] into like any unintended issues there.
[10:04] So, thank you for your work on that.
[10:08] Any Okay, it seems like we have
[10:11] you know, answer all our questions.
[10:12] Thank you so much for for this update.
[10:15] Thank you.
[10:17] Moving on on the agenda, we're going to
[10:19] go to item number two, which is an
[10:20] ordinance for the indefinite alleyway
[10:23] closure of Jefferson in Jefferson Park.
[10:26] We're going to welcome Brian Fullmer,
[10:28] Council Policy Analyst, to the table,
[10:30] Tyler Murdock, Public Lands Deputy
[10:33] Director, and Amy Riile, Associate
[10:35] Landscape Architect, and we're going to
[10:38] give Brian maybe a few minutes to
[10:41] introduce this item. Thank you.
[10:43] Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a proposal
[10:46] from the Department of Public Lands to
[10:48] indefinitely close but retain ownership
[10:51] of two alleys that the city owns within
[10:54] Jefferson Park, which is located in
[10:56] District 5. The intent is to consolidate
[10:59] parcels within the park for improvements
[11:03] funded by the Reimagine
[11:05] Reimagine Nature General Obligation
[11:08] Bond. [clears throat]
[11:09] And with that, I'll turn it over to
[11:10] Tyler and Amy.
[11:13] Thanks, Brian.
[11:14] Good afternoon, Council. A quick intro
[11:17] before I let Amy kind of run through
[11:18] this.
[11:20] This is a bit unique for Public Lands to
[11:22] bring these. However, it is becoming a
[11:24] lot more common. I just want to preface
[11:26] that. Many of the parks in Salt Lake
[11:28] City were created long before many of
[11:31] our zoning ordinances exist and so a lot
[11:34] of our parks the majority of our parks
[11:36] still today are made up of many
[11:38] different parcels
[11:39] and alleyways and streets and so how
[11:42] we're managing that is when we do
[11:45] updates or master capital improvements
[11:48] we then go through the rezoning process
[11:50] to vacate any alleyways or and then to
[11:52] consolidate the parcels. This is a
[11:54] requirement for us to get our building
[11:57] permits to move these forward. So this
[11:58] is becoming a more of a frequent thing
[12:01] and I just wanted to preface that you'll
[12:02] probably continue to see us as we
[12:03] continue to invest in capital
[12:05] improvements
[12:06] in our parks. So with that I'll turn it
[12:08] to Amy for a quick summary of this one.
[12:12] Thank you. Hello Council.
[12:14] And again here we are to talk about
[12:16] Jefferson Park.
[12:18] Go to the next slide.
[12:22] Site context Jefferson Park
[12:24] is located in D5
[12:26] and it is a detention basin managed by
[12:29] public utilities and a park managed by
[12:32] public lands. Next slide.
[12:39] The purpose for our meeting today is to
[12:42] consolidate parcels within Jefferson
[12:44] Park for planned improvements as
[12:46] indicated. Next concept next slide.
[12:53] The proposed alley closures are both
[12:56] located entirely within the park.
[13:00] So you'll see
[13:02] A is a portion of the east-west
[13:04] mid-block alley between 200 West and
[13:07] West Temple
[13:09] approximately 100 ft by 15 ft.
[13:12] And B is a north-south alley between
[13:15] West Temple Ave and West Fremont Ave
[13:18] approximately 275
[13:20] ft by 16 ft. Next slide.
[13:27] And here they are
[13:29] inside the park.
[13:31] » [laughter]
[13:32] » Next slide.
[13:35] This is just state code to remind you of
[13:39] when we can close the alley and it is
[13:43] not necessary for vehicular travel and
[13:47] it is we would argue necessary to
[13:49] mitigate injury because of the detention
[13:51] basin function that protects surrounding
[13:53] homes. Next slide.
[13:58] The public process that we have followed
[14:00] is noted here
[14:02] and this is a step in the process um
[14:06] and a final noticing requirement is
[14:08] being sent out as per this.
[14:11] Next slide.
[14:14] That's it.
[14:15] Please close the alley so we can do the
[14:17] park improvements. Council members.
[14:20] Okay, we just did that in Madison Park
[14:23] not too long ago.
[14:24] Um and I my question I guess for the for
[14:27] the administration is can you bring them
[14:29] all together to us?
[14:30] We can get it over with. I had a feeling
[14:33] that was going to come up Council member
[14:35] and so we actually have created a full
[14:37] list that identifies every park in the
[14:40] city that requires lot consolidation and
[14:43] vacation.
[14:45] Uh it's a long long list and right now
[14:48] the capacity does not exist within the
[14:50] planning team with our team to really
[14:51] take those all on so we do them on
[14:53] individual basis.
[14:54] Uh we're working towards that with some
[14:56] team changes and hopefully can maybe
[14:59] bring more than one next time. So.
[15:02] Certainly I you know we're not managing
[15:04] your time you know you know the work
[15:06] that you guys do and it's a lot so thank
[15:08] you for bringing this one. Um thank you
[15:10] for the update. Yeah, thank you Council.
[15:14] Okay.
[15:17] So Council members we're going to take a
[15:19] break. Uh
[15:22] We are moving ahead um
[15:23] uh a little faster and um
[15:26] so
[15:27] » We need staff from uh Metro Water and
[15:29] Public Utilities to arrive. They're on
[15:31] their way, but not here yet.
[15:37] So, I'll come back three.
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[39:07] » Start the meeting, restart the meeting
[39:08] with item number
[39:10] four.
[39:11] Uh, this is the fiscal year 2026-2027
[39:15] budget for the Metropolitan Water
[39:17] District. We're going to welcome to you
[39:18] Austin Kimmel, Council Analyst, uh, Anna
[39:21] Lee Munsey,
[39:23] uh, Metro Water General Manager, and
[39:26] uh, Tom Godfrey, Board Chair for Metro
[39:28] Water.
[39:30] Um, Austin.
[39:32] » [clears throat]
[39:33] » Thanks, Council members. Uh, the
[39:35] Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake
[39:37] and Sandy is here to present its
[39:39] tentative budget for the 20 2026-2027
[39:43] fiscal year.
[39:44] The Council's role in Metro Water's
[39:46] budget is somewhat unique. The Council
[39:48] reviews the budget and shares
[39:50] responsibility with Sandy City Council
[39:52] to approve and set the tax rate, but it
[39:54] does not formally adopt the budget. That
[39:57] responsibility rests with Metro Water's
[40:00] Board of Trustees.
[40:02] Metro Water's primary function is to
[40:04] store, treat, and convey water supplies
[40:06] to Salt Lake City and Sandy. It is one
[40:08] of the taxing entities that appears as a
[40:10] line on property taxes for property
[40:13] owners.
[40:14] And this year's total budget is nearly
[40:17] $123.7
[40:19] million, which is about a $12 million
[40:22] increase from last year.
[40:23] The increase is driven primarily by
[40:25] costs from other agencies, price
[40:27] increases from utility providers such as
[40:30] gas and power, and increased capital
[40:32] projects budget.
[40:33] Metro Water proposes a 6% increase to
[40:36] the rate charged to member cities for
[40:38] water sales, and a 6% increase to water
[40:41] rates for non-member entities.
[40:43] Lastly, Metro Water does not propose a
[40:45] property tax increase, and the projected
[40:47] certified tax rate is proposed at
[40:50] 0.00035.
[40:53] And with that, I will turn it over to
[40:54] Anna Lee.
[41:00] Okay.
[41:02] All right, thank you.
[41:05] I want to first introduce
[41:07] Tom Godfrey. He's the chair of the
[41:10] Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake
[41:12] and Sandy. He also serves as president
[41:15] or chair of the Provo River Water Users
[41:18] Association, and Metro is a majority
[41:20] shareholder in that association. And
[41:23] then he also serves
[41:25] as a member of the Salt Lake City Public
[41:27] Utilities Advisory Committee.
[41:29] So, he has a great understanding of
[41:32] water and how it relates to Salt Lake
[41:34] City.
[41:35] And I also want to
[41:38] recognize Laura Briefer and Jason
[41:42] Brown. Okay. Sorry. They have a couple
[41:44] Jason. Jason Brown um with Salt Lake
[41:47] City Public Utilities. Um having their
[41:49] support here today just shows the great
[41:51] relationship with that we have with your
[41:54] utilities.
[41:55] And recognize our role in providing
[41:58] water to the city.
[42:01] Uh next slide.
[42:04] So, for this presentation, I'll just
[42:06] provide a quick overview of Metro Water.
[42:09] And our purpose here today is to present
[42:12] our fiscal year 2027 tentative budget to
[42:14] you. And then I'll just summarize our
[42:17] sources and uses of funds and I'm I'll
[42:20] be happy to address any questions during
[42:22] the presentation or of course at the end
[42:24] as well. Next slide.
[42:31] So the Metropolitan Water District was
[42:32] established in 1935. So we did hit 90
[42:35] years in August.
[42:37] Our sole purpose is to provide reliable
[42:40] drinking water to the Salt Lake Valley.
[42:43] In 1990 Sandy City annexed into the
[42:46] district and so our name changed from
[42:49] Metropolitan of Salt Lake City to
[42:50] Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake
[42:53] and Sandy.
[42:54] Next slide.
[42:58] So we have a board of seven trustees.
[43:01] Five of those represent Salt Lake City
[43:04] and two represent Sandy City. Each
[43:07] trustee serves for a four-year term that
[43:10] can be re
[43:11] renewed. And as you'll know recently you
[43:15] appointed two new trustees to our board
[43:17] and I know
[43:18] we have an open opening that you're
[43:20] currently looking to fulfill for our for
[43:22] our board.
[43:24] Next slide.
[43:28] So Metro's water supply is diverse which
[43:31] supports a reliable water supply for
[43:34] Salt Lake City.
[43:35] The bulk of our water is supplied to the
[43:37] Provo River project. This water is
[43:40] stored in Deer Creek Reservoir.
[43:43] And just in perspective the dam and
[43:45] reservoir were built as part of the
[43:46] Provo River project in the 1940s.
[43:50] Metro's water supply also includes
[43:52] Little Cottonwood Creek. The 20,000 acre
[43:55] feet is a combination of Salt Lake City
[43:57] and Sandy City water rights.
[44:02] The third largest source of water is the
[44:05] Central Utah Project. So this water is
[44:08] stored in Jordan Reservoir, and Metro is
[44:11] a petitioner for this water.
[44:14] Other water sources for Metro include
[44:17] Central Utah Project also has a Utah
[44:19] Lake System water, which is actually
[44:21] Strawberry Reservoir.
[44:23] Oop, I thought it cut out. Okay. Um, and
[44:26] then
[44:27] Salt Lake City um has 3,100 acre feet of
[44:30] that preferential right for that ULS
[44:33] water, and they started paying for the
[44:35] supply in 2021.
[44:37] And Metro also receives water from the
[44:39] Ontario Drain Tunnel.
[44:41] So, a combined total of 108,700
[44:45] acre feet. However, in a poor snow year,
[44:48] like we've all experienced, our water
[44:51] supply is notably less than that.
[44:54] Next slide.
[44:59] So, when you think of water treatment,
[45:01] there's really three key facilities you
[45:03] have to have a treatment facility, you
[45:05] have to have something that conveys the
[45:06] water, and then there's an end
[45:08] reservoir. That's how my simple mind
[45:10] thinks of it.
[45:12] Uh so, Metro is owner of the Little
[45:14] Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant that's
[45:16] located just at the base of Little
[45:18] Cottonwood Canyon.
[45:20] Um, it was originally constructed in
[45:22] 1960.
[45:24] And this plant is the second largest
[45:26] plant treatment plant in the Salt Lake
[45:28] Valley.
[45:29] Uh we also own and operate the Point of
[45:31] the Mountain Water Treatment Plant,
[45:33] which is located in Draper. This was
[45:35] commissioned in 2007
[45:37] as part of the Metro Water Project.
[45:40] And this plant really runs during high
[45:42] demands seasons, so usually in the
[45:45] summer, and it provides redundancy for
[45:47] our plant. And then we're also 2/7
[45:50] owners of the Jordan Valley Water
[45:52] Treatment Plant.
[45:53] Uh it has a
[45:55] it's located in Bluffdale.
[45:57] And they're currently doing a project to
[46:00] expand the capacity of that plant to 250
[46:03] million gallons.
[46:05] And then for a conveyance of the water,
[46:07] we have our Salt Lake Aqueduct, which I
[46:08] call the kind of the backbone of the
[46:10] Salt Lake Valley's distribution system.
[46:13] Um it was it's near over 70 years old.
[46:16] It um
[46:17] is a 42-in for excuse me, 42-mi 69-in
[46:22] diameter pipeline that starts at the
[46:24] base of Deer Creek Dam and brings water
[46:27] down the canyon along the bench and
[46:30] terminates at Mill in Mill Creek at our
[46:32] terminal reservoir.
[46:35] And then we have our Point of the
[46:36] Mountain Aqueduct. It was also
[46:38] commissioned in 2007 as part of the
[46:40] Metro Water Project. And it's a pipeline
[46:43] that connects our Point of the Mountain
[46:44] plant with the one in in Cottonwood
[46:46] Heights.
[46:48] And then we're also 2/7 owners of the
[46:50] Jordan Aqueduct. And this pipeline um
[46:54] helps us deliver water to the northwest
[46:56] quadrant of Salt Lake City at 21st
[46:58] South.
[47:00] And then the storage where we store the
[47:02] finished or what we call treated water,
[47:05] we have our terminal reservoir. It's
[47:07] located in Mill Creek. It's a 48 million
[47:09] gallon reservoir. It was originally
[47:12] constructed in 1951.
[47:14] We did rebuild it and it was completed
[47:16] in 2017 to address current seismic
[47:19] standards.
[47:21] And then that reservoir provides
[47:22] reliable water storage as well for
[47:24] municipal as well as for fire use.
[47:28] And then we're also 2/7 owner of the
[47:30] Jordan Aqueduct Terminal Reservoir.
[47:33] Um it's a 100 million gallon storage
[47:35] reservoir located just off Bangerter
[47:38] Highway around 5300 South.
[47:41] Next slide.
[47:45] Okay. So, now I'm going to review our
[47:47] sources of funds.
[47:49] Next slide.
[47:55] So, this is kind of a little clip from
[47:57] our budget, but we um for this for the
[48:00] 2027 budget, we're looking at water
[48:03] sales about 23% of our revenue.
[48:07] Our property tax is nearly 21%.
[48:11] We have capital assessments that relate
[48:13] to capacity improvement projects such as
[48:16] the Metro water project. That's about
[48:18] 10%. We have miscellaneous revenue. Part
[48:22] of that in this year's budget includes
[48:23] Salt Lake City's portion that they're
[48:26] reimbursing us for the Cottonwood's
[48:27] connection project.
[48:29] And then this year we have bond revenues
[48:31] that we're planning to issue as part of
[48:34] three big capital projects that I'll be
[48:36] highlighting here in a minute. Next
[48:38] slide.
[48:42] So, as Austin noted, we are proposing a
[48:44] 6% increase to our water rates. We are
[48:47] having our public hearing on 15th.
[48:50] And these are rates that we forecast to
[48:54] Salt Lake City and Sandy City in
[48:55] advance, usually two to three years in
[48:57] two two to three years in advance so
[48:59] they can plan on them. So, for Salt Lake
[49:01] City that um increase is noted here.
[49:04] It's a little over a million-dollar
[49:06] increase to their budget
[49:08] for Metro.
[49:10] Next slide.
[49:13] Also, as he noted, we are not proposing
[49:15] an increase to the certified tax rate in
[49:18] this year. You'll recall in fiscal year
[49:20] 25, we did reestablish it to 0.00035.
[49:25] Um we're proposing we've been
[49:26] maintaining that rate, although the rate
[49:28] does erode. Um I think currently Salt
[49:31] Lake City is 0.000327.
[49:34] I just wanted to communicate though we
[49:37] looking at the following year in fiscal
[49:39] year 28, we are proposing an increase.
[49:42] At least our budget rate or our planning
[49:45] shows an increase to the certified tax
[49:47] rate in order to fund these capital
[49:49] projects that address aging
[49:51] infrastructure to repair and replace
[49:54] them.
[49:56] Next slide.
[50:01] So, we had in our current budget, we
[50:04] were anticipating some bonding for the
[50:06] Cottonwood Connection project. However,
[50:09] it's really hard to know when things are
[50:11] going to finish on time. And so,
[50:13] due to a delay and just the
[50:15] construction, we did not issue we aren't
[50:17] planning on issuing any bonds this year.
[50:20] So, we are anticipating it for next
[50:22] year. Um that will be to complete the
[50:25] Cottonwood Connection project.
[50:27] Um also a project called the Little
[50:30] Cottonwood Conduit Replacement Intake
[50:32] Modifications project, which is a
[50:33] pipeline that brings water from Little
[50:35] Cottonwood Creek into the plant.
[50:37] And then also for um design of the
[50:40] Little Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant.
[50:43] Next slide.
[50:45] » [snorts]
[50:47] » Okay. Then we'll go how we uh are using
[50:50] these funds on the next slides.
[50:52] Next, please.
[50:56] So, our total budgeted expenditures are
[51:00] 115.2 million. The operation and
[51:03] maintenance budget totals uh here 48.5
[51:06] million, and that includes our routine
[51:08] operations and maintenance, such as our
[51:10] salary and wages, any interest expenses
[51:14] for our bonds, our costs to the Provo
[51:16] River Water Users Association, employee
[51:19] benefits, contract services, utilities,
[51:22] and chemicals.
[51:24] Um other large ones are like general
[51:25] insurance um and non-routine O&M.
[51:29] Um this graph here does exclude Salt
[51:32] Lake City's uh portion that they're
[51:34] reimbursing for the Cottonwood
[51:35] Connection project.
[51:37] Next slide.
[51:41] This is our fiscal year 2017 tentative
[51:44] capital improvements project budget.
[51:46] Includes nearly 46 million for these
[51:49] routine non-capacity projects.
[51:52] The significant portion is for
[51:54] completion of the Cottonwoods Connection
[51:56] pipeline, which is a pipeline that
[52:00] goes from Fort Union to our plant off of
[52:02] Danish Road.
[52:05] Um, these These costs also represent um
[52:09] really represent replacement and repair
[52:11] of key water infrastructure.
[52:14] The capital improvement projects also
[52:16] includes costs from other agencies that
[52:18] total almost 7.6 million.
[52:22] Next slide.
[52:27] So, Metro Water, like many agencies in
[52:30] Salt Lake City included, we have water
[52:32] infrastructure that has reached its
[52:35] design life. We're obviously maintaining
[52:37] it, um, but a hazard mitigation study
[52:42] identified the Salt Lake Aqueduct, the
[52:44] raw water Little Cottonwood Conduit, and
[52:46] the Little Cottonwood Water Treatment
[52:47] Plant as facilities that should be
[52:50] repaired, replaced, or rebuilt. Um, all
[52:53] of these projects will provide seismic
[52:55] resiliency, thus ensuring the reliable
[52:58] delivery of clean drinking water to the
[53:00] residents of this valley.
[53:03] You can see Salt Lake Aqueduct placed in
[53:05] service in 1950,
[53:07] uh, the Little Cottonwood 1931,
[53:10] and then the Little Cottonwood Water
[53:12] Treatment Plant 1960,
[53:14] which were great for that time, but just
[53:16] with current concrete and seismic
[53:18] standards,
[53:19] um,
[53:20] they would not perform well in the event
[53:22] of an earthquake or other natural
[53:24] hazard.
[53:26] Next slide.
[53:31] So, as Austin mentioned, our budget does
[53:34] include costs from other agencies.
[53:36] So, as being a petitioner in the Central
[53:39] Utah Project, we do we are charged an
[53:42] O&M as well as a capital cost from
[53:44] Central Utah. So, the total amount that
[53:46] we pay to them is about 5.7 million
[53:48] dollars annually
[53:50] for that 20,000 acre feet of M&I and
[53:53] then 3,100 acre feet of Utah Lake System
[53:56] water.
[53:57] We also have those costs with Jordan
[53:59] Valley Water Conservancy District as
[54:01] we're
[54:02] a 2/7 owner. Their O&M costs
[54:07] are have decreased a little bit, but
[54:09] then their capital projects have
[54:11] increased by 3.8 million. Again, they're
[54:14] also addressing their seismic resiliency
[54:17] of their water treatment plant.
[54:19] And then the with the Provo River Water
[54:21] Users Association, so we're 61.9%
[54:26] the largest of 100% of shares in the
[54:29] association. So, all of their costs,
[54:31] Metro's carrying a large burden of that.
[54:34] Their annual cost is about 5 million
[54:36] dollars.
[54:38] I'm sure many of you are aware the Deer
[54:39] Creek intake project is just wrapping
[54:42] up. They're actually going to have a
[54:44] ribbon cutting next week for this
[54:46] project. Um, but that's something that's
[54:49] very important if you think about our
[54:51] water system. Deer Creek Reservoir is
[54:53] critical to delivery of water.
[54:56] And then when I did this slide, we had
[54:57] an initial allotment of 50%.
[55:01] That has gone up to 69%.
[55:05] So, we're at
[55:09] 42,711
[55:11] acre feet that the association is
[55:13] allotted to Metro. And those are water
[55:16] that Salt Lake City and Sandy City use
[55:19] in their distribution.
[55:22] That is my final slide.
[55:24] Go to the next one. Are there any
[55:26] questions from the council members
[55:29] that Tom would love to answer for you?
[55:32] » [laughter]
[55:33] » Council members?
[55:35] Council member Dunn?
[55:36] Yeah, thank you, Tom, and thank you
[55:37] presentation and you know,
[55:40] water is like probably the number one
[55:42] topic in the city in the state right now
[55:45] uh besides uh data centers.
[55:47] Uh
[55:48] but the question on the uh the sales and
[55:51] the reservoirs status right now and the
[55:54] conservation measures that we we have on
[55:57] uh
[55:58] in process or about to begin even more,
[56:01] how does that impact your
[56:03] uh
[56:04] water sales or
[56:06] and your storage capacity and your
[56:08] revenue
[56:10] uh going future and it and when you
[56:13] do your budget, do you assume I know
[56:16] these are sales to the districts who
[56:18] then deliver it to the residents,
[56:21] uh
[56:22] how's the conservation measures affect
[56:24] your budget and how do you imp- uh
[56:28] forecast those conservation measures on
[56:30] the budget?
[56:32] Does that make sense?
[56:33] » Yeah.
[56:35] So, we we support conservation.
[56:37] Obviously, the reservoirs, I consider
[56:39] those like our bank accounts, our
[56:41] savings accounts. So, any water we don't
[56:43] use in the current year, that will be
[56:45] made avail- that's something we can
[56:47] carry on next year. And typically, our
[56:49] droughts last more than 1 year. So, we
[56:52] definitely support conservation efforts
[56:55] um for our cities. For Metro
[56:58] specifically, how we bill our water is
[57:01] it's a flat rate for the year. And so,
[57:05] we don't see the fluctuations that the
[57:07] utilities see as far as
[57:09] higher demand or lower demand. Um but we
[57:12] want them to use less water because
[57:15] knowing we're probably going to have
[57:16] another year of hopefully better than
[57:18] this year, but the reservoirs are
[57:20] designed to
[57:22] provide water for like a 3-year drought.
[57:24] So, if you go beyond that, then that
[57:26] really stresses the water supply.
[57:29] I don't know if that Does that answer
[57:30] your question, Council member?
[57:31] » And, but
[57:33] there when we conserve our water, we're
[57:35] not buying more water from your agency.
[57:39] And so,
[57:40] your your revenue is also based on what
[57:44] we know. Okay, never mind.
[57:47] We We did
[57:48] So, they did
[57:48] » Always needing this education.
[57:50] » A great question because we have had
[57:52] that We have done that in the past. In
[57:55] before 2017,
[57:57] we would just bill the cities for the
[57:59] water that they took from us.
[58:02] Um there was an analysis done at that
[58:05] time and looked at is is there a better
[58:08] way to manage
[58:10] the predictability of water of what
[58:12] they're going to use as well as what
[58:14] we're going to sell to them. And so,
[58:15] what we went to was a fixed amount. So,
[58:20] we charge the same amount for to Salt
[58:22] Lake City and Sandy City um
[58:25] regardless of the amount of water that
[58:27] they take.
[58:28] Okay, that's what the fixed amount is.
[58:30] So, thank you very much for that
[58:31] clarity.
[58:33] I know I was just one person, but
[58:35] there's probably a lot of people that
[58:36] have that same question. So, thank you
[58:37] very That's That's interesting. That's
[58:39] uh appreciative on that side of the
[58:40] house. So, thank you.
[58:43] Council members, any other questions?
[58:46] And your side of the house seems to be
[58:48] covered uh then. Uh thank you so much
[58:50] for the presentation.
[58:52] Um it's a If there is anything else, uh
[58:55] this is time. Thank you so much for the
[58:56] work. It's a very important.
[58:58] Uh and I I I really appreciate the
[59:00] transparency uh the district uh shows um
[59:04] with us and the public in general. So,
[59:06] thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.
[59:11] Thank you.
[59:23] I would like to uh move on to item
[59:25] number five, which is fiscal year 2026
[59:28] 2027 for the proposed budget for the
[59:31] Department of Public Utilities.
[59:34] We're going to welcome at the table
[59:35] again Austin Kimmel or, you know,
[59:37] re-welcome at the table Council Policy
[59:39] Analyst. Thank you for staying there.
[59:41] Laura Briere, Director of Public
[59:42] Utilities.
[59:44] Lisa Tarfelli,
[59:46] Finance Administrator for Public
[59:47] Utilities.
[59:49] And I
[59:52] We've got Jason Brown here, Deputy
[59:54] Director of Public Utilities.
[59:56] » And we might have Jesse Stewart coming
[59:58] by. He's in the middle of some
[59:59] negotiations, so we'll see.
[1:00:03] Awesome.
[1:00:04] This is your turn.
[1:00:05] Great.
[1:00:08] Um just a quick note that Public
[1:00:11] Utilities is here to present its
[1:00:13] proposed budget for the fiscal year
[1:00:16] 2026-27
[1:00:18] budget. The total proposed utilities
[1:00:21] budget is 427,786,665
[1:00:29] dollars. That's about a 44% decrease or
[1:00:32] a nearly 337 million dollar decrease
[1:00:36] from the department's amended FY26
[1:00:39] budget.
[1:00:40] The decrease is driven in part by
[1:00:42] reductions to the department's capital
[1:00:44] projects budget and capital outlay
[1:00:47] budget, as well as a decrease in the
[1:00:49] department's anticipated bond and loan
[1:00:51] proceeds compared to the previous fiscal
[1:00:53] year.
[1:00:55] Public Utilities operates four
[1:00:57] utilities: water, sewer, storm water,
[1:01:00] and street lighting.
[1:01:02] Each operating as separate enterprise
[1:01:04] funds with separate revenue, capital
[1:01:06] programs, and staffing.
[1:01:08] Public Utilities is proposing rate
[1:01:11] changes for all four utilities,
[1:01:13] which are expected to increase customer
[1:01:15] utility bills.
[1:01:17] The These increases are based on recent
[1:01:19] rate studies and are needed to address
[1:01:22] aging infrastructure, meet federal and
[1:01:24] state requirements, keep up with
[1:01:26] keep up with inflation, and maintain
[1:01:29] each utilities financial stability.
[1:01:32] Public utilities will cover the proposed
[1:01:34] rate changes in today's briefing.
[1:01:36] Customer rate impacts of each utility
[1:01:39] are summarized on page six of the
[1:01:41] council staff report.
[1:01:43] And this year's budget includes an
[1:01:45] adjustment to the sewer rates for
[1:01:47] multi-family properties, which are
[1:01:50] intended to address some of the large
[1:01:52] increases some of those customers
[1:01:54] experienced last fiscal year.
[1:01:57] Lastly, a quick note that public
[1:01:59] utilities revised its proposed street
[1:02:01] lighting rate adjustments,
[1:02:03] which differ from the rates summarized
[1:02:05] in the report.
[1:02:07] An email detailing the revised street
[1:02:10] lighting rates was sent to you on
[1:02:12] Friday, May 1st, and it has also been
[1:02:14] added to your packets as an attachment.
[1:02:18] Policy questions for this discussion can
[1:02:20] be found on page two of the council
[1:02:21] staff report, and with that, I will turn
[1:02:23] it over to Laura.
[1:02:26] Great. Thank you so much. Um and I also
[1:02:30] wanted to recognize what a great
[1:02:31] partnership
[1:02:32] Metro
[1:02:34] and Anna Lee and also for Tom
[1:02:41] is serving serving on our advisory
[1:02:43] committee. Um we may have some other
[1:02:46] public utilities advisory committee
[1:02:47] members coming in. I think they're
[1:02:49] planning on coming a little later, so
[1:02:51] they might miss part of the
[1:02:52] presentation. Um but we'll try to
[1:02:55] acknowledge them if they do come in.
[1:02:57] Um I wanted to also start out this
[1:03:00] presentation by just acknowledging and
[1:03:04] uh the concern and the desire for a
[1:03:07] really robust public engagement process
[1:03:09] for our budget, um particularly around
[1:03:13] impact of rate increases.
[1:03:15] Um we are coordinating very closely with
[1:03:19] uh the mayor's office and council staff
[1:03:22] and the citywide communications team.
[1:03:25] Uh, really just integrating a lot of
[1:03:27] strategies to uh better connect with our
[1:03:32] uh and engage with our constituents in
[1:03:34] this process. So, I just wanted to
[1:03:36] acknowledge that. I also want to
[1:03:37] acknowledge just the teamwork between um
[1:03:40] Andrew Wittenberg's team at the mayor's
[1:03:43] office and Lehua for participating in
[1:03:46] all of these and then of course the
[1:03:48] citywide uh comms team.
[1:03:50] Um, so we're happy to answer any
[1:03:52] questions about engagement uh during
[1:03:54] this presentation as we move along.
[1:03:57] Uh, next slide, please.
[1:04:01] Uh, so with respect to public utilities
[1:04:04] services, we are uh charged with
[1:04:08] drinking water collection, which means
[1:04:10] diverting water from
[1:04:12] uh the sources of drinking water as well
[1:04:14] as from the sources in which Metro
[1:04:17] manages
[1:04:18] um distribution of that water to nearly
[1:04:21] 400,000 people across Salt Lake County.
[1:04:24] Uh, that includes uh large portions of
[1:04:27] Mill Creek, Holiday, and Cottonwood
[1:04:28] Heights and smaller portions of Midvale,
[1:04:32] Murray, and South Salt Lake.
[1:04:34] Uh, we are also the sanitary sewer
[1:04:36] provider, also sometimes called
[1:04:38] wastewater,
[1:04:39] um and we do all of the collection and
[1:04:42] treatment for that for the over 210
[1:04:46] or 15,000 residents of Salt Lake City.
[1:04:49] Uh, same as stormwater quality and flood
[1:04:52] control and street lighting.
[1:04:54] Um, I've included some pictures of our
[1:04:57] team and our work in this presentation
[1:05:00] uh because they're really relevant to
[1:05:02] what our water rates pay for and what
[1:05:04] our budgets pay for
[1:05:06] um every year. Um,
[1:05:08] the photo on this slide is our lead and
[1:05:10] copper team. This is a team that
[1:05:12] designed
[1:05:13] uh our lead service line replacement
[1:05:15] program.
[1:05:16] Um I call them the superstars of our
[1:05:19] utility right now. They've done an
[1:05:21] amazing job uh meeting some rigorous
[1:05:23] regulatory requirements on that and
[1:05:25] serving our community in a really,
[1:05:28] really thoughtful way.
[1:05:30] And next slide, please.
[1:05:34] I also wanted to just put on a slide the
[1:05:39] significant generational capital
[1:05:41] investments that
[1:05:43] you have supported the last few years
[1:05:46] and moving into the next few years. Uh
[1:05:49] these investments can span many, many
[1:05:52] years. Um but for instance, we are
[1:05:56] almost complete with the replacement of
[1:05:58] our 65-year-old water reclamation
[1:06:00] facility.
[1:06:02] Uh
[1:06:02] same with our
[1:06:04] uh City Creek Water Treatment Plant,
[1:06:06] which was put into service in 1955.
[1:06:10] Um and then our lead service line
[1:06:12] replacement program. And you can see the
[1:06:14] cost for these types of infrastructure
[1:06:16] programs, the scale of them is quite
[1:06:19] large. Um we are also working on
[1:06:23] replacement of aged water and sewer
[1:06:25] mains. Our residents have seen that.
[1:06:27] We've tried our best not to disrupt uh
[1:06:30] them and and roadways. Uh but just
[1:06:33] completed a major sewer main
[1:06:34] reconstruction in the West Temple
[1:06:36] Ballpark area. Um and uh are just we're
[1:06:41] just starting a very large sewer main
[1:06:44] reconstruction on Beck Street um from a
[1:06:47] 1890s
[1:06:49] era uh sewer line.
[1:06:51] Um
[1:06:52] and then we are constantly working on
[1:06:54] designs for future infrastructure
[1:06:57] rehabilitation and replacement.
[1:06:59] Um
[1:07:01] a couple of notes here. I have an
[1:07:02] asterisk on our replacement of the water
[1:07:05] reclamation facility and the lead
[1:07:08] service line replacement program.
[1:07:11] Both of those projects, nearly a billion
[1:07:14] dollars worth of work, were projects
[1:07:17] that were also required to meet federal
[1:07:20] and state regulations.
[1:07:22] So, the replacement of the water
[1:07:23] reclamation facility was required to
[1:07:25] meet to meet changes to the Clean Water
[1:07:27] Act. Um, we had to remove more nutrients
[1:07:30] from our discharge.
[1:07:32] And then the lead service line
[1:07:34] replacement program is a requirement of
[1:07:37] EPA
[1:07:38] um
[1:07:39] with respect to getting all lead service
[1:07:42] lines out of commission around the
[1:07:44] country uh by in in the next 10 years.
[1:07:51] I'll also say that these capital
[1:07:53] investments and others that aren't
[1:07:55] listed on this page like um the the
[1:07:58] rehabilitation of Mountain Dell Dam,
[1:08:00] some of our reservoirs, many of our pump
[1:08:03] stations, uh the the new public
[1:08:06] utilities campus,
[1:08:08] um all of those improve our city's water
[1:08:11] resiliency and water security now and in
[1:08:14] the future as well.
[1:08:17] And next slide, please.
[1:08:22] We've also worked really hard. Our team
[1:08:24] has worked really hard on finding cost
[1:08:27] savings and efficiencies.
[1:08:29] Um we with some of these large projects,
[1:08:32] we have experienced inflation pressures
[1:08:36] um and and other types of pressures in
[1:08:39] their construction and design.
[1:08:42] Um but we've calculated that we've saved
[1:08:44] at least $434 million
[1:08:47] just on some of the big capital projects
[1:08:50] that that we've worked on.
[1:08:53] Um and this is through value
[1:08:55] engineering. So, as we go through these
[1:08:56] projects, we uh look at ways that we can
[1:08:59] be more efficient and save costs on the
[1:09:01] engineering uh side of it.
[1:09:04] Um the Envision process actually is very
[1:09:06] helpful. The Envision process is like
[1:09:10] LEED certification except for
[1:09:13] uh specifically for infrastructure.
[1:09:17] Um and we estimate that that has saved
[1:09:19] us $15 million
[1:09:21] on our new water reclamation facility,
[1:09:23] which is quite amazing
[1:09:25] um when you think about it.
[1:09:28] Um so we've We've done a lot in terms of
[1:09:31] efficiency and cost savings.
[1:09:34] Uh
[1:09:35] about $40.7
[1:09:36] million
[1:09:38] in these cost savings
[1:09:40] are in grants from the federal
[1:09:42] government. So we went out and applied
[1:09:45] for and implemented some some large
[1:09:48] grants. The biggest for the City Creek
[1:09:50] Water Treatment Plant at $36.7 million.
[1:09:55] Um and then we also secured low-interest
[1:09:58] federal loans, about $387 million worth
[1:10:02] of low-interest federal loans uh with
[1:10:04] $19 million of that forgivable. Um we
[1:10:08] estimate for one of those loans, the
[1:10:11] loan we received for the water
[1:10:13] reclamation facility under the Water
[1:10:15] Infrastructure Finance and Innovation
[1:10:17] Act uh saves our ratepayers at least
[1:10:20] $100 million
[1:10:21] in financing costs over time.
[1:10:25] Um and you know, with in addition to
[1:10:28] financing innovation, uh we have been
[1:10:31] working on our contracts with many of
[1:10:34] our general contractors and just
[1:10:36] recently realized $1.25 million in
[1:10:39] shared savings on a City Creek Water
[1:10:41] Treatment Plant. Um so a lot of work
[1:10:44] going on. Um
[1:10:46] what I have on this slide really shows
[1:10:48] some savings on large capital projects,
[1:10:50] but even on the smaller capital
[1:10:52] projects, we are implementing
[1:10:54] efficiencies and cost savings.
[1:10:57] And then on the operational side that
[1:10:59] ethic also extends
[1:11:01] for instance repurposing positions
[1:11:03] instead of hiring new positions
[1:11:06] and then using technologies such as GIS
[1:11:09] to help make workflows more efficient.
[1:11:14] Next slide, please.
[1:11:21] So before we dive into our budget, I
[1:11:23] want to talk a little bit about our rate
[1:11:25] drivers and our for well for the budget
[1:11:28] on rates and we mentioned a couple of
[1:11:31] them federal and state regulatory
[1:11:33] requirements definitely drive our
[1:11:36] budgets and our rates
[1:11:38] and to a large degree in our case with
[1:11:41] you know over a billion dollars worth of
[1:11:44] projects that had a federal nexus a
[1:11:46] regulatory nexus to them.
[1:11:48] Aging infrastructure
[1:11:51] is sort of embedded in some of those and
[1:11:54] also out into the future.
[1:11:56] And then debt service costs are
[1:11:58] something that really drives our rates
[1:12:00] this budget
[1:12:02] and we'll talk a little bit more about
[1:12:04] that
[1:12:05] and then of course inflation and then
[1:12:07] drought and water scarcity can affect
[1:12:10] what our rates look like as well.
[1:12:13] So for us you know balancing all of
[1:12:15] these priorities is really important. We
[1:12:17] want to continue to provide this high
[1:12:19] level of service
[1:12:21] comply with all of our regulations but
[1:12:22] we also want to make sure our rates are
[1:12:24] affordable.
[1:12:25] I want to just say that we're not alone
[1:12:28] in our sector in facing these types of
[1:12:30] pressures and in facing the need to
[1:12:33] balance a lot of these priorities
[1:12:36] according to the recently published
[1:12:38] value of water campaign
[1:12:40] which was a national water campaign in
[1:12:43] Utah alone there's 41 billion needed
[1:12:47] over the next 20 years to bring water
[1:12:50] and wastewater infrastructure to a state
[1:12:52] of good repair.
[1:12:54] Nationally, that number is $3.4 trillion
[1:12:57] over the next 20 years.
[1:13:00] Most communities have a very large delta
[1:13:03] between what they can afford in terms of
[1:13:05] bringing that infrastructure to a state
[1:13:07] of good repair and and what's needed.
[1:13:10] And so we're really working very hard to
[1:13:13] make sure we're prioritizing what we
[1:13:16] need while still balancing uh basic
[1:13:19] water affordability.
[1:13:22] So, to sum that up, there's a need to
[1:13:24] replace aged infrastructure. There's
[1:13:26] more of a need to replace aged
[1:13:28] infrastructure than to replace it.
[1:13:31] Um so we rely on a lot of different uh
[1:13:33] asset management, condition assessment,
[1:13:35] and risk assessment to prioritize our
[1:13:37] capital work. Um and we also work hard
[1:13:40] to stretch the life of our aging
[1:13:42] infrastructure and find ways to make
[1:13:44] that aging infrastructure more efficient
[1:13:47] to rehabilitate such as recently
[1:13:49] rehabilitating sewer old sewer lines um
[1:13:52] in a new way.
[1:13:55] Um our debt service to pay bonds and
[1:13:58] loans that we mentioned for some of
[1:14:00] these large projects is has is
[1:14:02] increasing this year um and is set to
[1:14:05] increase.
[1:14:06] » [snorts]
[1:14:06] » One of the changes this year um over the
[1:14:08] last few years is that we now need to
[1:14:11] meet a debt service coverage of two
[1:14:14] times our operational income in order to
[1:14:18] ensure that we maintain our good bond
[1:14:20] ratings. And I think that just reflects
[1:14:22] the um
[1:14:24] that the bond rating industry has become
[1:14:26] a lot more wise to a lot of the need
[1:14:29] that's out there in the country of
[1:14:31] replacing aging infrastructure.
[1:14:35] » [snorts]
[1:14:35] » Our rates also need to increase so that
[1:14:37] we can plan for future regulatory and
[1:14:39] infrastructure needs. So, for example,
[1:14:42] um groundwater contamination at one of
[1:14:44] our most important drinking water
[1:14:46] resources, we've found low levels of
[1:14:49] PFAS forever chemicals, which will
[1:14:52] take quite an investment to clean from
[1:14:55] that well.
[1:14:56] » [snorts]
[1:14:56] » Um
[1:14:59] We also, with respect to this year's
[1:15:02] drought and just the long-term mega
[1:15:04] drought, we've also taken into
[1:15:06] consideration
[1:15:08] um anticipated reductions in water use
[1:15:10] this this year in our operate in our
[1:15:13] operational income.
[1:15:16] Next slide, please.
[1:15:19] Uh so, as Austin mentioned, we have a
[1:15:22] 44% decrease in our proposed budget this
[1:15:26] year as compared to our amended budget
[1:15:29] last year. So, that's um almost $428
[1:15:32] million this year. We are not proposing
[1:15:35] any increases in staff for this year.
[1:15:41] Our budget reduction reflects a nearly
[1:15:43] $350 million
[1:15:45] decrease in capital costs,
[1:15:48] partly because our two largest treatment
[1:15:50] facilities, the water reclamation
[1:15:52] facility and our City Creek Water
[1:15:54] Treatment Plant, are winding down this
[1:15:56] year and are scheduled to be completed
[1:15:58] by the end of this calendar year in
[1:16:00] 2026,
[1:16:01] which is very exciting for us. We
[1:16:04] uh started uh construction on the
[1:16:07] water reclamation facility in 2019. Uh
[1:16:11] many of you've been out to that project
[1:16:13] and understand the very large scale of
[1:16:16] that project um and then the City Creek
[1:16:18] Water Treatment Plant, uh we we're
[1:16:20] actually a little bit ahead of schedule
[1:16:22] on that one, which is a good
[1:16:25] That's the silver lining to the winter
[1:16:26] we had, actually, because we were able
[1:16:29] to be out in and be in construction more
[1:16:32] than we thought. So,
[1:16:35] uh next slide, please.
[1:16:39] So, summary of our utility funds
[1:16:41] budgets, we've broken down um for fiscal
[1:16:44] year 2027 between each of the four
[1:16:47] utilities
[1:16:49] um and between operations, capital, and
[1:16:51] debt service. Um so, one thing I want to
[1:16:54] highlight on this chart is just that our
[1:16:58] debt service this year is is a little
[1:17:00] over $63 million.
[1:17:02] Um that's an increase from last year and
[1:17:05] our projections moving forward is that
[1:17:06] will increase as different bonds um
[1:17:09] start maturing at different times.
[1:17:12] Um
[1:17:15] Yeah, I think we can go to the next
[1:17:17] slide and if there's more questions
[1:17:18] about those that breakdown, we can um
[1:17:20] talk about that. But, we also want to
[1:17:22] talk about our projected revenue and
[1:17:24] sources for fiscal year 2027.
[1:17:27] And [snorts]
[1:17:28] uh
[1:17:29] the couple of things that I wanted to
[1:17:32] highlight here.
[1:17:34] Um first, we've kept our impact fees
[1:17:37] very static. We have not really signaled
[1:17:42] in our budget that we will be increasing
[1:17:44] our impact fees. Um so, they're very
[1:17:47] conservative. We did just complete an
[1:17:50] impact fee facility plan and an impact
[1:17:52] fee study, which would support increases
[1:17:54] in impact fees, but that will be come
[1:17:57] coming through um a separate process
[1:18:00] than our than our budget uh later this
[1:18:02] year.
[1:18:05] And Lisa, is there anything else you
[1:18:07] wanted to mention about revenues? Okay.
[1:18:11] All right.
[1:18:13] Next slide, please.
[1:18:16] And then expenditures for fiscal year
[1:18:18] 2027,
[1:18:19] um there are a few things I wanted to
[1:18:21] highlight here.
[1:18:22] Uh you'll see on the line item for
[1:18:24] materials and supplies and charges for
[1:18:27] service, those two line items kind of in
[1:18:29] the middle of the chart. Those are going
[1:18:33] up. And that's for two reasons. Uh
[1:18:36] for charges for services and materials
[1:18:39] and supplies,
[1:18:41] uh we anticipate increased costs as we
[1:18:44] transition from operating the existing
[1:18:47] water reclamation facility to moving to
[1:18:50] operating the new water reclamation
[1:18:52] facility. So, there's going to be a
[1:18:54] point in time where we're staffed, we
[1:18:56] have uh contractors coming in to staff
[1:18:58] the old facility while we learn the new
[1:19:00] facility.
[1:19:02] Um so, that's one thing, and then the
[1:19:04] other is our operations and maintenance
[1:19:06] team um has added more to their uh
[1:19:10] materials and supplies budget in order
[1:19:12] to be more pro- proactive around asset
[1:19:15] management. So, there's more in the
[1:19:18] budget now to to acquire and replace
[1:19:20] things like valves that fail and cause
[1:19:23] water leaks um and those types of
[1:19:26] things. And that's a that's also in
[1:19:28] keeping with the fact that rather than
[1:19:30] doing a lot replacement right now, we
[1:19:33] want we need to step up stretching the
[1:19:35] life of some of our infrastructure um
[1:19:38] until we have the resources to replace
[1:19:41] some of it as we prioritize different
[1:19:42] infrastructure.
[1:19:46] Um and then again, you'll see that that
[1:19:48] debt service climbs uh by a little under
[1:19:52] $7 million this year compared to last
[1:19:54] year.
[1:19:58] Uh next slide, please.
[1:20:02] So, our proposed rate changes. Now, it
[1:20:05] might
[1:20:06] it might feel a little counterintuitive.
[1:20:09] Our budget's going down by 44%, but we
[1:20:12] are proposing rate increases, and the
[1:20:15] reasons for that are um largely based on
[1:20:19] the increased debt coverage that we need
[1:20:21] to have to maintain our bond ratings.
[1:20:23] Um and then we're also trying to plan
[1:20:26] for the future because we have a lot of
[1:20:28] deferred aging infrastructure that we
[1:20:31] don't want to have to rely on debt to
[1:20:33] replace over time. And so, we want to
[1:20:36] start ensuring that we have a much more
[1:20:39] structurally balanced
[1:20:41] utility financial position as we move
[1:20:43] forward.
[1:20:44] Um, so our new rates to the minimum rate
[1:20:49] increases we need to meet our debt
[1:20:51] coverage requirements
[1:20:53] for water are 25% and actually these are
[1:20:56] revenue increases. The rate increases
[1:20:59] are going to look different depending
[1:21:01] on how much water you use basically.
[1:21:04] Um, and the same as sewer at 40%
[1:21:07] and then storm water at 20%.
[1:21:10] Um, we also have one structural change
[1:21:13] we are proposing and Austin spoke of
[1:21:15] this earlier in his introduction.
[1:21:18] Uh, but we want to change the
[1:21:20] multi-family sewer rate structure to a
[1:21:22] fixed rate per dwelling unit. Um, that's
[1:21:25] $48.94
[1:21:27] per dwelling unit which is
[1:21:29] a little less than what a
[1:21:32] an average single-family resident would
[1:21:34] typically pay just accounting for the
[1:21:36] smaller size typically of um,
[1:21:39] many of our multi-family
[1:21:42] developments.
[1:21:44] » [clears throat]
[1:21:44] » Uh, this will help both
[1:21:47] provide some certainty every month for
[1:21:50] what the rate would be because it's not
[1:21:51] based on a volumetric water use and and
[1:21:56] also will provide for less of a
[1:22:00] increases during the summer time for
[1:22:02] those properties that don't separate out
[1:22:04] their outdoor use and indoor use with
[1:22:06] different meters.
[1:22:08] Um, so we hope that that's a good
[1:22:10] change. We have talked to
[1:22:13] many interested parties that represent
[1:22:16] multi-family
[1:22:17] developments and this seems to be a lot
[1:22:20] more beneficial so far to them and I
[1:22:23] think we're still having that
[1:22:25] conversation back and forth.
[1:22:28] For the street you street lighting
[1:22:30] utility, I were recommending a 50%
[1:22:33] revenue increase or rate increase.
[1:22:36] And that's largely due to the fact that
[1:22:39] we're impacted a lot with wire theft and
[1:22:43] vandalism to these facilities.
[1:22:47] And we relied more on reserves and debt
[1:22:51] in the past and we're going to need to
[1:22:53] start
[1:22:54] making that utility more financially
[1:22:57] capable in the future.
[1:23:01] Um these are photos of our
[1:23:05] watershed and hydrology teams out in the
[1:23:08] field
[1:23:09] picking invasive weeds in the mountains
[1:23:11] and also monitoring our our stream
[1:23:13] flows.
[1:23:15] Next slide, please.
[1:23:21] So we have
[1:23:23] we have some examples
[1:23:26] there's there may be nobody in the world
[1:23:28] who completely fits the fits these
[1:23:30] different profiles that we have in terms
[1:23:33] of what monthly water and sewer rate
[1:23:35] increases will look like. Um but we
[1:23:38] chose these examples based on a lot of
[1:23:40] averages. So for a residential minimum
[1:23:44] what water use
[1:23:47] water use and sewer use which would
[1:23:49] largely be like a lower an average to
[1:23:51] lower than average water user in a
[1:23:54] single family home.
[1:23:57] The combined monthly change would be
[1:23:59] about $21.63.
[1:24:03] Uh for residential low use which is
[1:24:07] just a little bit above our average
[1:24:09] water use indoors,
[1:24:12] that would be around $25.37
[1:24:16] in combined water and sewer fees.
[1:24:19] Medium use represents
[1:24:22] both indoor and outdoor use and that's a
[1:24:26] $41.08
[1:24:27] increase on this example.
[1:24:30] And then high use is
[1:24:33] quite a lot of outdoor watering for most
[1:24:36] of our single-family residential
[1:24:38] customers and that's about $88 per month
[1:24:43] for this example.
[1:24:44] We do have a rate calculator that will
[1:24:47] be live on our website.
[1:24:49] That will make it easier for people to
[1:24:51] look back on the water that they use and
[1:24:54] their bills and be able to see what
[1:24:56] their new rates would be and maybe even
[1:24:58] encourage some additional conservation
[1:25:00] as we look forward.
[1:25:03] And next slide, please.
[1:25:07] Then we have our monthly stormwater
[1:25:09] charges. These reflect a 20% increase to
[1:25:12] stormwater.
[1:25:14] And
[1:25:15] that really goes toward, you know, some
[1:25:18] additional infrastructure work that we
[1:25:19] need for flood control and operational
[1:25:21] work that we
[1:25:23] regulatory requirements. Sorry, I don't
[1:25:25] know what happened there.
[1:25:26] » [laughter]
[1:25:28] » And
[1:25:30] and so we've calculated those for
[1:25:32] single-family and duplex
[1:25:35] homes for either less than a quarter
[1:25:37] acre or more than a quarter acre.
[1:25:39] Triplex and fourplex homes and
[1:25:43] commercial and all other parcels. These
[1:25:46] charges are not based on any kind of
[1:25:48] volumetric charge. It's based on the
[1:25:50] size of a parcel or what we call an
[1:25:53] equivalent residential unit or ERU.
[1:25:59] Next slide, please.
[1:26:01] And then our monthly street lighting
[1:26:03] charges,
[1:26:05] those that this reflects the 50%
[1:26:08] increase. Most of our customers are in
[1:26:11] the base lighting group, which would be
[1:26:14] a $2.60
[1:26:16] increase per month.
[1:26:18] And then we have two different
[1:26:20] residential groupings that have enhanced
[1:26:23] lighting. Enhanced lighting sometimes
[1:26:25] means that there's more
[1:26:27] uh light poles per block or they look a
[1:26:32] lot different and are fancier lights.
[1:26:35] Um and depending on which enhanced
[1:26:38] lighting area you're in, there's
[1:26:39] different increases based on the cost.
[1:26:43] And then group group three is our
[1:26:44] commercial district lighting.
[1:26:47] So that's downtown and Sugar House
[1:26:49] lighting primarily.
[1:26:55] And I think
[1:26:57] the only other thing I wanted to add, I
[1:26:59] think the next slide is my last slide or
[1:27:02] is yes, we're done. The only other thing
[1:27:04] I wanted to add
[1:27:05] is you know, the rates that we see on
[1:27:09] our water and sewer
[1:27:11] bills,
[1:27:12] those go directly towards a lot of
[1:27:14] really important and critical
[1:27:16] infrastructure
[1:27:18] and operations to meet our regulatory
[1:27:20] obligations.
[1:27:22] So everything that's on our bills goes
[1:27:24] to things like maintaining the three
[1:27:27] city-owned water treatment plants,
[1:27:29] um making sure and you know, paying
[1:27:31] Metro for the water resources and the
[1:27:34] infrastructure that they're maintaining,
[1:27:36] uh replacing and rehabilitating water
[1:27:39] mains and hydrants,
[1:27:41] our lead service line replacement
[1:27:43] program,
[1:27:44] reservoirs and dams, uh sewer treatment,
[1:27:48] sewer lines, emergency response and
[1:27:51] operations.
[1:27:52] Um so there's a lot that we do. A lot of
[1:27:54] our infrastructure and a lot of our
[1:27:56] operations are out of sight and out of
[1:27:58] mind and so they're not always thought
[1:28:00] about until something goes wrong and we
[1:28:03] don't want things to go wrong and so
[1:28:06] we're trying to be very proactive in how
[1:28:09] we select and prioritize
[1:28:12] um the needed work to do here and we
[1:28:15] really appreciate the support that
[1:28:18] you've provided in the past and
[1:28:20] would love to get your feedback right
[1:28:22] now and address any questions you may
[1:28:25] have.
[1:28:27] Council members.
[1:28:28] Council member Young.
[1:28:30] Yeah, thank you.
[1:28:32] So,
[1:28:33] I want to make sure we start off by
[1:28:35] recognizing that this is a long-standing
[1:28:40] historical
[1:28:42] debt that we have been carrying as a
[1:28:45] city that is not at the feet of you or
[1:28:49] our current administration, but that we
[1:28:52] can look back over years and decades in
[1:28:56] terms of the fact that these were needs
[1:29:00] that were always kind of pushed off to
[1:29:02] the future and that now we sit here
[1:29:05] together as a collective group kind of
[1:29:08] holding that bag and saying, "What do we
[1:29:11] do?"
[1:29:12] Um, because we can't not have clean
[1:29:15] water going to our residents across the
[1:29:18] city. And so, we need to find a solution
[1:29:21] on the way forward. I really want to
[1:29:23] call out and appreciate the
[1:29:27] um
[1:29:27] slide that you had that highlighted all
[1:29:30] the various grants that you and your
[1:29:34] team and the administration have brought
[1:29:36] in to be able to defray these costs
[1:29:40] related to that historical debt that
[1:29:42] we've been carrying because it could be
[1:29:46] worse. And I think it's important to
[1:29:49] recognize that as we're talking about it
[1:29:52] that we're we're pulling every lever,
[1:29:54] you're looking at every possible
[1:29:56] opportunity to be able to say, "How do
[1:30:00] we come up with the resources necessary
[1:30:03] to continuing to deliver the A+ services
[1:30:07] that our residents have come to expect
[1:30:10] from all the individuals in this space.
[1:30:13] With that, I think there's also a
[1:30:15] balance to kind of shifting the
[1:30:18] conversation
[1:30:20] to the fact that these are debts that
[1:30:23] are not able to be addressed by a single
[1:30:26] budgetary action over a single fiscal
[1:30:29] year.
[1:30:30] And I think that that's been one of my
[1:30:33] ah-has as part of this process, that
[1:30:37] when we've previously been speaking to,
[1:30:41] you know, at least my neighbors,
[1:30:43] personally, about some of these needs
[1:30:46] and underlying infrastructure issues, I
[1:30:49] think there was a hope that kind of each
[1:30:51] year we were taking a step that would
[1:30:53] put us back on track. And we'd be like,
[1:30:55] "Okay, so we have an issue, but we're
[1:30:57] going to take this step this fiscal
[1:30:59] year, and that's going to help us in the
[1:31:01] long run."
[1:31:02] Without necessarily really recognizing
[1:31:05] that this is going to be a multi-year
[1:31:09] effort, not just by the individuals who
[1:31:12] sit in this room today, but looking
[1:31:15] ahead to our future about what those
[1:31:17] needs are, and also helping to educate
[1:31:20] and communicate to our residents
[1:31:23] how that historical debt came to be, and
[1:31:26] what the future looks like, not just
[1:31:29] this year, but also moving forward.
[1:31:33] It is a steep climb. And I don't look at
[1:31:37] the budget and think to myself, "Oh, you
[1:31:39] know what? We don't need that. We don't
[1:31:41] need that, you know, water reclamation,
[1:31:43] you know, center." Like, I've been in
[1:31:45] the buildings with your team, you know,
[1:31:47] to see the '60s infrastructure.
[1:31:51] I've had the opportunity to be educated
[1:31:53] about what does it look like to leave,
[1:31:56] you know, a pipe that has was installed
[1:31:59] in in 1950s and hope for the best you
[1:32:03] know in terms of you know potentially
[1:32:06] leading us as a city to have water
[1:32:09] issues not that last a couple of days or
[1:32:12] a couple of weeks but into the years of
[1:32:15] what it would take in an emergency
[1:32:17] situation to fix it.
[1:32:20] Um
[1:32:22] I appreciate that this is an ongoing
[1:32:25] dialogue and an ongoing effort that you
[1:32:27] along with your team and the
[1:32:29] comprehensive city have been working on.
[1:32:32] I want to reflect that I'm invested in
[1:32:35] being able to figure out what that
[1:32:37] long-term solution looks like and
[1:32:40] appreciate the lens of how are we
[1:32:43] communicating this comprehensively to
[1:32:46] our city so that they don't expect that
[1:32:51] this rate increase is the final rate
[1:32:54] increase when we know we have a longer
[1:32:57] term situation that we need to address.
[1:33:00] So thank you for being here today and
[1:33:02] again thank you for all of your work to
[1:33:04] be able to help address an issue that
[1:33:07] you certainly did not create nor did
[1:33:10] anyone else in this room but that we're
[1:33:12] responsible for in terms of next steps.
[1:33:17] Thank you. May I um just I wanted to say
[1:33:20] one thing too so that
[1:33:22] um people don't come away with a feeling
[1:33:24] that the people before us weren't
[1:33:27] investing.
[1:33:29] So in the 70s and 80s uh we actually we
[1:33:34] and everyone else in the nation were the
[1:33:35] beneficiary of the federal government
[1:33:38] picking up the tab of 50 to 60%
[1:33:41] of a lot of these water infrastructure
[1:33:43] needs.
[1:33:44] Um in Utah last year the estimate is
[1:33:47] that the federal government picked up
[1:33:48] 3%.
[1:33:50] And um
[1:33:52] when you know our predecessors were in
[1:33:56] these positions, I think there was
[1:33:59] investment made, but we're also coming
[1:34:02] to this infrastructure cliff where the
[1:34:04] investments that were made
[1:34:06] were helpful in keeping the facilities
[1:34:08] running, but, you know, for instance, in
[1:34:10] our treatment plants, which are very
[1:34:12] expensive, as Anna Lee
[1:34:14] talked about with the 1960 Little
[1:34:16] Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant, they
[1:34:18] weren't built to seismic standards, yet
[1:34:20] most of them are on fault lines. Um the
[1:34:24] foundational parts of the structure can
[1:34:27] no longer be band-aided.
[1:34:30] And we are pushing off, you know, the
[1:34:33] replacement of Big Cottonwood Water
[1:34:35] Treatment Plant until after Little
[1:34:36] Cottonwood. That's partly what why we're
[1:34:39] building that Cottonwood Connection
[1:34:41] project so that we can bring that source
[1:34:43] of water to Little Cottonwood in the
[1:34:45] case of failure. Um we're also putting
[1:34:48] pushing off Parleys Water Treatment
[1:34:50] Plant for some time after 2034, but
[1:34:54] we've got to start thinking about how
[1:34:56] we're going to how we're going to afford
[1:34:57] that in the future because those those
[1:35:01] plants, that infrastructure, is what
[1:35:03] keeps our community running, not just in
[1:35:05] Salt Lake City, but the other
[1:35:06] communities that we serve.
[1:35:08] Um so
[1:35:10] unfortunately, we're not in a position
[1:35:11] where the federal government is I mean,
[1:35:13] we were lucky to get some grants, but
[1:35:15] those are very few and far between, and
[1:35:17] that was under the IIJA,
[1:35:19] you know, and bipartisan infrastructure
[1:35:21] law
[1:35:22] process. We're not seeing those types of
[1:35:24] investments right now, and we may not
[1:35:27] that we can't guarantee that. Um but
[1:35:30] yeah, every local [clears throat]
[1:35:32] government and community is now tasked
[1:35:34] with making sure that they can meet the
[1:35:37] needs that they have with the little
[1:35:39] resources they have on in with respect
[1:35:41] to rates and revenue sources. So, I
[1:35:43] really appreciate those observations.
[1:35:46] Okay. Councilmember Wharton.
[1:35:49] Thank you. Um so
[1:35:52] um
[1:35:53] agree with everything that that Council
[1:35:55] Member Young said um in terms of thanks
[1:35:58] and and that recognizing this isn't
[1:36:02] um
[1:36:03] something that one budget or even a
[1:36:05] couple budgets can alleviate.
[1:36:08] Um,
[1:36:09] but I think people where I hear from
[1:36:12] residents and their frustration is
[1:36:15] uh you you know, you read about maybe
[1:36:17] other communities that haven't raised
[1:36:19] their water rates in
[1:36:21] this long and
[1:36:23] I don't think anybody n- knowing that
[1:36:25] I've spoken to is advocating for that
[1:36:28] either [snorts] because I think that
[1:36:30] also comes with um
[1:36:33] it's own costs.
[1:36:35] Um, but if we could just how would you
[1:36:38] explain
[1:36:40] that it's even possible
[1:36:42] to do that in some communities where
[1:36:46] in our
[1:36:48] system it's it's really not. Yeah. So,
[1:36:51] so with respect to keeping rates lower
[1:36:53] in some communities and Yeah, or just
[1:36:55] saying you know, we have it priding
[1:36:57] themselves on how they haven't raised
[1:36:59] rates in Yeah.
[1:37:01] our many years. I mean, every community
[1:37:03] is very different in the way it when and
[1:37:07] how it developed first of all. So,
[1:37:10] in Salt Lake City, we are if not the
[1:37:13] oldest water system west of the
[1:37:15] Mississippi, we're one of the oldest.
[1:37:17] We're celebrating 150 years and I think
[1:37:20] parts of our water system may have been
[1:37:22] developed before that.
[1:37:24] Um,
[1:37:25] and uh and so some communities have
[1:37:27] newer infrastructure.
[1:37:29] Um, some many communities don't have all
[1:37:33] parts of the system that Salt Lake City
[1:37:35] has where we're diverting the water,
[1:37:37] treating the water, and then
[1:37:39] distributing it um to our customers. And
[1:37:42] on the waste water side, the collection
[1:37:44] system and the treatment system,
[1:37:46] um they may get contract water say from
[1:37:49] Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District
[1:37:52] which is then delivered to those cities
[1:37:54] and they're just dealing with the
[1:37:56] distribution pipes.
[1:37:58] There are also
[1:38:01] many communities are supported by water
[1:38:04] districts and sewer districts in which
[1:38:07] portion of the revenue that's generated
[1:38:10] is from property tax so the rates might
[1:38:13] look lower cuz they're not reflecting
[1:38:15] what's being paid in those property
[1:38:17] taxes.
[1:38:18] So it's very hard to compare. We do try
[1:38:20] to compare with other similarly situated
[1:38:23] cities and in our in our budget book
[1:38:27] towards the end in one of the appendices
[1:38:30] we do compare with places like Denver
[1:38:32] and Phoenix and Flagstaff and others and
[1:38:36] we're all around the same range so we're
[1:38:39] not really that far from each other with
[1:38:43] some of those more comparably sized
[1:38:45] cities.
[1:38:47] And we do also compare with sewer
[1:38:49] with with other cities on sewer but
[1:38:52] again it's a hard comparison because
[1:38:54] many other cities rely on districts to
[1:38:58] provide their treatment and that
[1:38:59] property tax.
[1:39:01] Okay.
[1:39:02] Can you talk a little bit about the
[1:39:06] I mean
[1:39:08] obviously I
[1:39:10] being on the council 9 years I've
[1:39:12] supported the other increases.
[1:39:15] Can you talk about like the costs so I I
[1:39:18] I feel that we're making the right
[1:39:20] decision when we've done those things.
[1:39:22] What is the alternative?
[1:39:25] If I let's say that
[1:39:27] that you have residents that are saying
[1:39:31] you know vote for the alternative. What
[1:39:33] does that look like?
[1:39:35] The alternative to not raising rates
[1:39:39] well this year one of the consequences
[1:39:42] could be
[1:39:43] um
[1:39:44] potentially undermining our high bond
[1:39:46] rating.
[1:39:48] Um so we have a double A1 Moody's rating
[1:39:51] and which is which is a very high rating
[1:39:53] and helps us afford lower interest costs
[1:39:56] on the money we do borrow.
[1:39:58] Um if that bond rating is is threatened
[1:40:02] or downgraded, that could potentially
[1:40:04] cost more in the long term
[1:40:06] um not just for our department, but also
[1:40:08] for other city needs as well.
[1:40:12] Um but I think the bigger question there
[1:40:15] is, you know, if we continue to defer um
[1:40:19] the needs that we have and we
[1:40:22] continue to signal that
[1:40:24] um
[1:40:26] we don't need to plan for those future
[1:40:28] needs. I think that sets itself for
[1:40:32] uh
[1:40:33] reducing our resiliency and reducing our
[1:40:36] water security in the long term. Um and
[1:40:39] it sets us up for potential
[1:40:41] unreliability in what I think, you know,
[1:40:44] water and wastewater kind of the
[1:40:46] underpinnings of
[1:40:48] not only our public health and our
[1:40:50] environmental health, but our economy.
[1:40:52] And we want to make sure that we're
[1:40:55] ahead of it. We're not there yet. If we
[1:40:57] as we continue to plan for sound
[1:41:00] financial
[1:41:02] health as well as making sure that we're
[1:41:05] addressing what we need to address.
[1:41:06] We're not addressing everything that we
[1:41:08] need that we've identified, but we're
[1:41:10] addressing the key critical points.
[1:41:13] Um you know, then then I think there's
[1:41:16] confidence in the system. Um
[1:41:19] there are examples across the nation of
[1:41:21] and they're
[1:41:22] albeit quite extreme that we've heard,
[1:41:25] but some examples where
[1:41:28] the the communities were not able to
[1:41:31] uh
[1:41:32] make those investments for a lot of
[1:41:35] different reasons and that has resulted
[1:41:38] in some very
[1:41:40] difficult conditions in those
[1:41:42] communities.
[1:41:43] Um, I'm not saying we're anywhere near
[1:41:46] that.
[1:41:47] Um, but we don't want to we want to make
[1:41:50] sure that we're we continue to be
[1:41:51] proactive.
[1:41:53] Okay, I also hear
[1:41:56] um
[1:41:59] I also hear from a lot of constituents
[1:42:02] um that
[1:42:04] uh one of their biggest concerns is
[1:42:06] um Great Salt Lake and you know, what is
[1:42:09] the what can the council do
[1:42:11] to help Great Salt Lake and are we doing
[1:42:14] everything that we can?
[1:42:15] Um
[1:42:17] how does something like our water rates
[1:42:20] um relate to the Great Salt Lake? Do
[1:42:22] those have anything to do with each
[1:42:24] other?
[1:42:25] Yeah, um that has to do with the design
[1:42:28] of our rate structures. So, in Salt Lake
[1:42:31] City, we have a a four block or four
[1:42:34] tiered rate structure
[1:42:36] and we send a price signal through those
[1:42:38] higher blocks of rates for conservation.
[1:42:43] And so, um that's one way in which we
[1:42:47] account for that. Um, and then also with
[1:42:50] respect to Great Salt Lake um the
[1:42:53] investments for instance into the water
[1:42:55] reclamation facility ensures that the
[1:42:57] quality of the water that we're
[1:42:59] discharging into Great Salt Lake is
[1:43:01] meets all of the Clean Water Act
[1:43:03] requirements that it needs to meet. Um,
[1:43:06] but it also means that we have 35
[1:43:09] million gallons of water on average a
[1:43:11] day going to Farmington Bay.
[1:43:14] Um, and you know, I think that's really
[1:43:17] important as well. So, there's
[1:43:19] definitely a nexus between
[1:43:22] water conservation, Great Salt Lake, and
[1:43:25] and the rates that we charge.
[1:43:28] Okay. And my last question is
[1:43:32] um just can you talk a little bit more
[1:43:34] about the change to like apartments,
[1:43:37] condos, um that portion of the pre- and
[1:43:40] the, you know, um
[1:43:42] culinary water versus um
[1:43:45] um the water that's going to
[1:43:48] landscaping. Mhm.
[1:43:50] Um
[1:43:52] I think
[1:43:54] you know, not not
[1:43:56] to I don't mean this as a criticism, but
[1:43:58] like I think we found last year that we
[1:44:00] could have communicated that better. Um
[1:44:03] and that we've probably learned a lot. I
[1:44:05] know that that and I appreciate the time
[1:44:08] that you have spent and and your team
[1:44:10] has spent with
[1:44:12] the residents and um and landlords,
[1:44:16] property owners in my district,
[1:44:18] you know, walking them through the
[1:44:19] process,
[1:44:21] um correcting where we have made
[1:44:23] mistakes, um and maybe we weren't
[1:44:26] charging them the right amount or
[1:44:27] something like that, you know, or or
[1:44:30] there were other factors that we weren't
[1:44:31] considering. Can you speak to
[1:44:34] So, I think those individuals might feel
[1:44:37] nervous Right.
[1:44:38] » Um when I talk to them about them there
[1:44:40] being another change in that area. Yeah.
[1:44:43] Um can you you know, can you speak to
[1:44:46] that issue and and how would you speak
[1:44:49] to some of those constituents that you
[1:44:51] and I have met with
[1:44:52] that were really upset last year um and
[1:44:55] might be nervous this year.
[1:44:58] With the new a multi-family rate
[1:45:00] structure being fixed per dwelling unit,
[1:45:02] those multi-family properties are not
[1:45:05] going to see the wild swings that they
[1:45:08] saw last summer. Um particularly those
[1:45:11] properties where the the meter that they
[1:45:13] had was both for indoor use and outdoor
[1:45:16] use. Um if they shared a meter, then
[1:45:20] their sewer charges were based on their
[1:45:23] total use. Um and in some cases that
[1:45:28] resulted in a very large summer sewer
[1:45:30] bill that they were not accustomed to
[1:45:32] seeing.
[1:45:33] Um that actually was not a situation we
[1:45:35] were aware of during the rate study and
[1:45:37] implementation. So we did as you said we
[1:45:40] did learn quite a lot.
[1:45:42] Uh that led to some really
[1:45:45] important and and informative meetings
[1:45:48] with the trade organizations that
[1:45:50] represent multi-family housing.
[1:45:53] Um and uh we walked through the new rate
[1:45:56] structure
[1:45:58] with them. We're still waiting to hear
[1:46:00] back from them on
[1:46:01] the their calculations of you know what
[1:46:04] what the new rates would look like for
[1:46:06] them.
[1:46:07] Um but our preliminary calculations do
[1:46:10] indicate that it'll be a lot better for
[1:46:12] those many of those multi-family homes.
[1:46:15] Um
[1:46:16] we've also worked with uh the commercial
[1:46:19] entities that were on that same sewer
[1:46:21] rate structure and had a similar
[1:46:23] situation. We're We're working with
[1:46:25] them. It's not a rate structure change
[1:46:27] but we're working with them to separate
[1:46:28] their
[1:46:30] outdoor use from their indoor use so
[1:46:31] that we have a better idea of what's
[1:46:33] going on what they're putting on their
[1:46:35] landscapes outside and what's going
[1:46:37] inside and we can charge them
[1:46:39] appropriately for that. Um and then
[1:46:41] finally one of the things we all learned
[1:46:44] um both the trade association
[1:46:46] representatives that we met with uh and
[1:46:49] some of the residents
[1:46:50] um and some of the commercial properties
[1:46:53] is
[1:46:54] uh there's a great opportunity for
[1:46:56] conser- outdoor
[1:46:58] conservation.
[1:46:59] Um and I believe that Stephanie Duer,
[1:47:03] our water conservation manager,
[1:47:05] um is actually doing a water
[1:47:07] conservation presentation uh with the
[1:47:09] rental housing association
[1:47:12] um and and other stakeholders who are
[1:47:14] really interested in this.
[1:47:16] Um so that could also help Great Salt
[1:47:18] Lake in the long term, [clears throat]
[1:47:19] too.
[1:47:20] Okay.
[1:47:21] Thank you. Councilman Carson.
[1:47:24] Um I I My comments will be similar to
[1:47:27] Council member Young's, but I just want
[1:47:29] to, you know, start by saying that I
[1:47:32] believe leadership means making hard
[1:47:34] decisions.
[1:47:36] It means not passing the buck,
[1:47:38] » [snorts]
[1:47:38] » And it means managing expectations over
[1:47:41] the long term. And
[1:47:44] I I I feel confident in
[1:47:46] public utilities doing those things
[1:47:50] and recognize how
[1:47:52] critically important water is to all of
[1:47:55] us
[1:47:57] and the management of this very, very
[1:47:58] precious resource that we all depend on
[1:48:01] every single day.
[1:48:03] I appreciate the thoughtfulness with
[1:48:05] which you're approaching these decisions
[1:48:07] and these proposals and the comment that
[1:48:11] you shared in regards to the declining
[1:48:14] federal investment in
[1:48:16] water infrastructure.
[1:48:19] I'm curious are there any ways we can
[1:48:22] change that
[1:48:23] » [laughter]
[1:48:24] » Declining interest in helping us
[1:48:26] carry the burden of our infrastructure?
[1:48:28] And even you mentioned that it seems
[1:48:30] like some of those um
[1:48:32] grants that we were able to apply to
[1:48:34] seem to be few and far between. Is there
[1:48:36] anything else we can do,
[1:48:39] um any other grants or other
[1:48:40] opportunities to really balance that
[1:48:43] affordability that I think all of us are
[1:48:45] also keeping in mind, too.
[1:48:47] Yeah, I mean I I think this is a real
[1:48:49] generational question because those
[1:48:52] initial investments in the '70s and
[1:48:54] '80s, you know, we're we're now
[1:48:57] moving forward another one or two
[1:48:58] generations from then, and our
[1:49:00] infrastructure is doing the same.
[1:49:02] And we also, especially in the West,
[1:49:04] have a lot of
[1:49:06] water challenges, scarcity, drought, the
[1:49:09] Colorado River challenges. So, I think
[1:49:12] there's a great opportunity for
[1:49:15] a renewed partnership with federal
[1:49:18] investments or federal agencies. So,
[1:49:21] sometimes we talk about unfunded
[1:49:22] mandates. For instance, I showed the
[1:49:24] slide where a lead service line
[1:49:26] replacement um regulations is a hundred
[1:49:29] to a hundred and fifty million dollars
[1:49:31] um over the course of the next ten
[1:49:33] years. That's a huge amount um of
[1:49:37] investment and it's an important
[1:49:38] investment, but it's from a regulation
[1:49:41] that came with
[1:49:42] really no funding. Although we did
[1:49:44] secure a low-interest loan for that,
[1:49:47] that's not always available.
[1:49:49] Um so, there is a lot of work happening
[1:49:53] on the national level with uh
[1:49:55] my sector with the water and wastewater
[1:49:58] sector around
[1:50:00] uh trying to work with federal agencies
[1:50:02] to see what kinds of policy shifts could
[1:50:04] happen on that level if it's even
[1:50:06] possible. Um there may be other ways
[1:50:09] this this year uh Lisa and and the team
[1:50:12] our executive team will be sitting down
[1:50:15] uh doing a long-range strategic plan
[1:50:19] around financial health and and um
[1:50:24] resiliency
[1:50:26] as well as what needs to be done and
[1:50:29] we'll be coming up with some good ideas
[1:50:31] there, too, I hope.
[1:50:34] Commissioner Petro.
[1:50:37] Thank you. Um
[1:50:39] ditto to everything. Nothing is
[1:50:42] unnecessary. We are not growing as one
[1:50:44] of my predecessors used to say, "Unicorn
[1:50:46] farms." Everything is necessary. And you
[1:50:49] definitely proved your value in District
[1:50:51] 1 um this year. We know well that it is
[1:50:55] City Public Utilities that shows up. It
[1:50:57] wasn't county flood, it was you all who
[1:50:59] showed up to make things right when they
[1:51:02] went awry. So, all of that said and I'm
[1:51:05] really deeply grateful, Laura, that you
[1:51:07] like tutored me because I am not
[1:51:09] intuitive about water policy or rates or
[1:51:12] anything. So, I'm so thankful for the
[1:51:14] time that you've spent with me.
[1:51:15] I think um
[1:51:17] part of the crisis here is that you are
[1:51:20] doing an amazing job of being a steward
[1:51:22] and making sure that we have money set
[1:51:25] aside for future maintenance. But in
[1:51:27] order for us to do that as a collective
[1:51:29] entity we have to raise rates on people
[1:51:31] who aren't able to do that for
[1:51:32] themselves. We're doing it for people
[1:51:34] whose car will stop running and they
[1:51:37] will not have had the benefit of setting
[1:51:39] aside a down payment for a new one. Um
[1:51:42] and that is the nature of the beast. But
[1:51:45] it does lend a little bit of gravity and
[1:51:47] difference to how we approach this. Um
[1:51:50] one question of clarification under
[1:51:52] street lighting utility here in my staff
[1:51:54] report under revenue
[1:51:57] um
[1:51:58] there's a line there that says general
[1:52:00] fund contributions.
[1:52:02] We are incredibly fantastic about making
[1:52:04] sure that things generated within
[1:52:06] enterprise funds only go back into the
[1:52:08] enterprise fund. Can you explain to me
[1:52:10] what the $20,000 that comes in as a
[1:52:13] revenue from the general fund is?
[1:52:15] Yeah, that's actually I believe a
[1:52:17] contribution from the general fund to
[1:52:19] the enterprise um and that is for the
[1:52:22] private lighting program. Is that right?
[1:52:24] Yeah. Yeah.
[1:52:26] Okay. Yeah. Thank you. That's a good
[1:52:28] clarification. My other request would
[1:52:31] just be
[1:52:33] any if we can't provide stability and no
[1:52:37] increases to our to our neighbors
[1:52:40] the next best thing is we can provide
[1:52:42] anticipatory guidance so they can
[1:52:44] prepare to absorb them.
[1:52:47] And I'm struggling because even as much
[1:52:49] in information as I have, admittedly I
[1:52:52] am not bright when it comes to this. I
[1:52:54] need help and hit lots of hand-holding.
[1:52:57] But for instance, my storm water total
[1:53:00] already now on my April bill reflects
[1:53:03] what a rate increase should be. I don't
[1:53:05] understand why that is. When I look at
[1:53:07] my cubic feet, it looks like I'm a low
[1:53:09] water user, but then my sewer rate
[1:53:12] already reflects a medium user.
[1:53:14] You know, these are things that I'm sure
[1:53:16] there are really, really great reasons
[1:53:18] for I don't need you to explain my water
[1:53:19] bill on the public record, but I would
[1:53:22] love the opportunity for us to work to
[1:53:24] make sure that our neighbors it if you
[1:53:27] ask us, we're all going to say we're low
[1:53:28] users.
[1:53:30] Um, and so
[1:53:32] I I think that sort of education to help
[1:53:34] our neighbors, you know, as I looked as
[1:53:36] I looked here,
[1:53:38] um, the average
[1:53:40] complete bill for a low user in my
[1:53:42] district with our enhanced lighting
[1:53:45] should be increasing $29.93
[1:53:48] to $33.67
[1:53:51] per month.
[1:53:53] That is significant when our gas in our
[1:53:56] vehicles have doubled in the past 2
[1:53:58] weeks.
[1:53:59] Um, and so, you know, while people might
[1:54:02] consolidate trips or ride their bike to
[1:54:04] Smith's instead of driving and things,
[1:54:07] it really is feeling increasingly and
[1:54:08] maybe this is the nature of us living in
[1:54:09] a high desert and we had a false
[1:54:11] precedent set for us before
[1:54:14] there isn't very much that you can do
[1:54:17] to conserve on your water bill even when
[1:54:20] you are doing the right thing and
[1:54:21] conserving water.
[1:54:23] So, as we move forward, um, you know,
[1:54:25] I'm I'm having people say things to me
[1:54:28] like we feel like we did everything
[1:54:29] right, we did the natural plants, we put
[1:54:31] in a low waste irrigation system and I'm
[1:54:34] still seeing my water bill go up. Um,
[1:54:37] I'm having people say that they're
[1:54:38] nervous about being able to grow their
[1:54:40] own food this year and to be able to
[1:54:42] afford the water that goes into that in
[1:54:44] a time where people are worried about
[1:54:45] the price of goods being trucked to them
[1:54:47] because of fuel increases. So, this is a
[1:54:49] double whammy. So, as we're moving
[1:54:51] through this, I just would like to work
[1:54:52] with you to get to we are asking people,
[1:54:55] like I said, who can't do the kind of
[1:54:58] planning for their own lives that we are
[1:55:00] doing as a city. And that's a really,
[1:55:02] really great thing that we're asking for
[1:55:04] them to contribute to. And so, if we
[1:55:06] can't provide stability, we have to
[1:55:07] provide predictability. And I
[1:55:11] Thank you for Thank you for being
[1:55:13] possibly the best experts in the region,
[1:55:16] not just the state, and for offering
[1:55:18] this guidance. But as we move through
[1:55:20] this, um
[1:55:22] our responsibility for communicating
[1:55:24] clearly and concisely only goes up as
[1:55:26] our rates do.
[1:55:30] We agree totally. I agree totally. Um
[1:55:34] This is a really hard
[1:55:36] budget and year in a a lot of ways with
[1:55:39] our department and you know, just the
[1:55:42] compounding impacts of
[1:55:44] everything going on in that's affecting
[1:55:47] what it costs to live with a good
[1:55:50] quality of life. And
[1:55:52] um and so, this this is not a budget or
[1:55:56] a proposal we take lightly at all. And
[1:55:58] we've been talking about you know, ways
[1:56:00] in which we could
[1:56:02] improve our customer assistance
[1:56:05] uh programs
[1:56:06] uh that make them a little less
[1:56:08] restrictive than they were in the past.
[1:56:11] Um we're more modeling the
[1:56:13] uh
[1:56:14] the energy assistance programs that is
[1:56:17] funded by the federal government.
[1:56:19] We don't have that same thing for water,
[1:56:21] but uh
[1:56:22] we're trying to do that. But But we we
[1:56:25] could we could potentially replicate
[1:56:27] that ourselves.
[1:56:28] Um
[1:56:29] but also, as you said, the education is
[1:56:32] really important. Um how to read the
[1:56:35] water bill. So,
[1:56:37] like the rate calculator is going to be
[1:56:39] only so good as how someone might be
[1:56:42] able to read their water bill, right?
[1:56:43] And um and so, we'd be happy to work
[1:56:47] with you and your constituents,
[1:56:49] everybody's constituents on
[1:56:51] any of any of that. And um
[1:56:54] maybe we'll talk more about that as
[1:56:57] well. Thank you.
[1:56:58] » Councilmember Dugan.
[1:57:00] Yeah, thank you. And I thank you for the
[1:57:01] discussion and and the comments. I think
[1:57:03] they're all spot on and uh it is a
[1:57:06] you know, the perfect storm here to use
[1:57:08] that old
[1:57:09] line.
[1:57:11] My question is the rates that we have
[1:57:13] going on here
[1:57:15] there was an assumption on on us saving
[1:57:17] water throughout the year. And what is
[1:57:21] what is your projection for the budget
[1:57:23] as far as what the city is saving so
[1:57:27] that we keep water in the reservoir and
[1:57:28] that we feed water to the Great Salt
[1:57:30] Lake cuz both are necessary during
[1:57:33] drought season. We We don't want to just
[1:57:35] have everything go to the Great Salt
[1:57:36] Lake and drain our reservoir and vice
[1:57:38] versa. So, how do you uh
[1:57:42] what's your projections on the on our
[1:57:43] savings rate to the budget because that
[1:57:46] that impacts our our rates.
[1:57:49] Um in our in our budgeted revenues in
[1:57:53] the water utility, we made an assumption
[1:57:56] of an 8% decrease over last year.
[1:58:00] Um
[1:58:01] but it's also a larger, if you look
[1:58:04] it's hard to look at our
[1:58:06] water demand year over year cuz there's
[1:58:08] so much variability. So, we also look at
[1:58:10] the average last the average 3 years.
[1:58:12] So, we're budgeting lower than we ever
[1:58:15] have in our
[1:58:18] projected water demand in this in this
[1:58:21] budget. Um and that includes a lower
[1:58:25] uh anticipating lower water demand than
[1:58:28] our historically lowest years.
[1:58:31] Um
[1:58:32] so so that is embedded in in our budget.
[1:58:36] Um we are in stage two of our water
[1:58:39] shortage contingency plan that has
[1:58:41] mainly voluntary
[1:58:43] uh participation. We'd like people to
[1:58:46] save somewhere around 10 million gallons
[1:58:47] a day.
[1:58:49] Uh so far this spring, we haven't seen
[1:58:51] that. We're just around where we were
[1:58:52] last year.
[1:58:54] Uh but as we get into the summer, I
[1:58:56] think we'll probably be saving a lot
[1:58:58] more water. Um and as we move forward
[1:59:03] into this year, we're going to be
[1:59:04] evaluating just what you said, you know,
[1:59:07] storage versus stream flow, what do we
[1:59:10] what do we want to hold over in storage
[1:59:13] uh for next year in case we have another
[1:59:15] drought year. Um so that's something
[1:59:17] we'll be working with Anna Lee and and
[1:59:19] Metro and um
[1:59:21] and our other stakeholders on as well
[1:59:23] this year.
[1:59:25] Thank you.
[1:59:27] Thank you
[1:59:28] uh for for the time. I, you know,
[1:59:32] the public utilities in our city
[1:59:35] uh is is just a gem
[1:59:37] uh
[1:59:38] for the work that you have done to bring
[1:59:41] us up to speed and to
[1:59:43] uh make us um resilience resilient to
[1:59:47] the changing uh environment that we
[1:59:49] have. And
[1:59:51] um and you know, it it is actually
[1:59:53] something to celebrate that we have a
[1:59:54] billion dollars of infrastructure in
[1:59:57] motion right now
[1:59:59] um and that we are making it in time,
[2:00:01] that we're making it in some of those
[2:00:03] ahead of time and that we are building a
[2:00:06] system that is going to
[2:00:08] uh outlast many of us here, uh which is
[2:00:11] how we're supposed to be making those
[2:00:12] decisions. So it's it's huge. Um I, you
[2:00:16] know, I have
[2:00:19] I'm very proud of the work that you do.
[2:00:21] I always proud of of our public
[2:00:23] utilities department uh and and how you
[2:00:26] see the problem and you tackle it. Um I
[2:00:29] am
[2:00:30] uh certainly have opinions about water
[2:00:32] usage
[2:00:34] uh and about how, you know,
[2:00:35] multi-family, you know, um
[2:00:38] you know, uh units use water um and I
[2:00:41] wish we could do more to curve the use
[2:00:44] of water and some of those feel like
[2:00:47] many of them are not realizing how much
[2:00:51] how much waste waste water that is
[2:00:54] happening in in within our city.
[2:00:56] Um
[2:00:58] But I I would like to focus a little bit
[2:01:00] on a on a question that I don't think
[2:01:01] that we probably have the time to to
[2:01:03] chat about, but I would love to have the
[2:01:05] opportunity to chat a little more
[2:01:06] through
[2:01:09] a couple weeks ahead through the budget
[2:01:11] discussions and it relates to street
[2:01:13] lighting.
[2:01:14] Um and
[2:01:16] I'm still, you know, hyper focused on
[2:01:18] the the issue of equity related to to
[2:01:21] street lighting
[2:01:22] and you know, past decisions this
[2:01:24] council
[2:01:25] or a different iteration of this council
[2:01:27] made to you know, to absorb some debts
[2:01:32] that I felt like it, you know, bring
[2:01:33] back the question of equity
[2:01:36] representing the West Side and the
[2:01:37] service that we would receive from from
[2:01:40] public lighting
[2:01:41] and I would love to hash out some of
[2:01:43] those numbers and try to get to a maybe
[2:01:47] potentially a better outcome.
[2:01:49] And I believe that we're doing a great
[2:01:51] job right now
[2:01:54] as a whole in the city. I just want to
[2:01:56] bring the the service levels maybe
[2:01:59] closer to what other neighborhoods are
[2:02:01] seeing. So that's my my hope.
[2:02:04] I don't know if there's anything. Yeah,
[2:02:06] we would like to do that too and our
[2:02:08] street lighting master plan that we
[2:02:11] updated now six years ago
[2:02:14] really changed what that lighting looks
[2:02:17] like. So instead of base lighting it
[2:02:20] anticipates more pedestrian level
[2:02:22] lighting or a greater density of
[2:02:23] lighting in different areas. Part of the
[2:02:26] reason why we're looking at our street
[2:02:28] lighting rates this year
[2:02:31] so closely and why we have this increase
[2:02:34] is so that we can start to be able to
[2:02:37] implement that street lighting plan so
[2:02:40] that we can bring greater equity uh to
[2:02:43] different parts of our community.
[2:02:45] Um so we we completely agree with that.
[2:02:47] No, I mean I think that's a valid
[2:02:49] proposition that I would love to to make
[2:02:51] to my neighbors if I'm going to say
[2:02:54] you're going to have to pay more, but
[2:02:55] this is what you're getting. Uh
[2:02:57] and and I would love to explain to my
[2:02:59] neighbors why this is important.
[2:03:02] Um but I hope that we have more time in
[2:03:04] in future weeks if uh I appreciate you
[2:03:07] and your work that the administration
[2:03:08] does to to bring transparency to this
[2:03:10] budget. So
[2:03:11] um any anything else council members?
[2:03:14] Okay, thank you so much for the time.
[2:03:16] Thank you.
[2:03:18] » Council members, we
[2:03:20] uh we're uh we have a few board
[2:03:22] appointments and I believe they're both
[2:03:23] online uh and available for us. Both
[2:03:27] appointments
[2:03:28] uh are for the Housing Authority of Salt
[2:03:30] Lake City. Uh we have a an item number
[2:03:33] six, Devra Chiquito
[2:03:36] uh will join us uh online. Are you
[2:03:38] there?
[2:03:40] Devra?
[2:03:43] Yes.
[2:03:45] Can you hear me? Yes, we can hear you.
[2:03:47] Can you tell us um briefly why do you
[2:03:50] want to join this board?
[2:03:53] Yes, uh my career I'm a social worker by
[2:03:55] career and I worked 20 years in the
[2:03:59] Utah State Prison, retired 3 years ago.
[2:04:02] Um and one of the main things
[2:04:05] um I worked with the women
[2:04:08] um
[2:04:08] in a treatment program for substance use
[2:04:11] and we would have them in a residential
[2:04:13] program. They'd do well, but they'd get
[2:04:15] out, they wouldn't have safe housing,
[2:04:17] they wouldn't have stable housing, they
[2:04:19] wouldn't have, you know, any
[2:04:21] um transitional supports that and they'd
[2:04:23] be right back in prison. So I really
[2:04:25] have a
[2:04:27] um an interest in um seeing um
[2:04:31] kind of that transitional support
[2:04:32] re-entry stuff for especially women uh
[2:04:35] for people coming out of the the uh
[2:04:38] correctional system as well as
[2:04:39] homelessness and and everything that
[2:04:42] goes with it. And I really like what you
[2:04:44] what the Housing Board of Salt Lake City
[2:04:46] is doing and what the mayor
[2:04:48] um is doing as well as far as the
[2:04:51] funding and the housing and the you
[2:04:54] know, multi-faceted. It's it's not um
[2:04:57] just, you know, well,
[2:04:59] good luck, you know, it needs to be
[2:05:00] sustainable. It needs to be
[2:05:02] multi-faceted. There's mental health,
[2:05:04] trauma informed stuff, training,
[2:05:06] um ongoing, you know, um
[2:05:10] issues that um we need to address within
[2:05:14] Salt Lake City, within the state, within
[2:05:16] other communities, um within
[2:05:20] you know, um and get the support and
[2:05:23] funding [clears throat] and the
[2:05:24] legislature, you know, the uh the state,
[2:05:27] local communities working together, the
[2:05:29] prison, um you know, other entities, the
[2:05:32] community partners, that type of thing.
[2:05:35] Um and so I would I would be honored to
[2:05:39] kind of rejoin uh
[2:05:42] the
[2:05:43] um fight to I guess is fight the wrong
[2:05:46] word, but
[2:05:47] the um
[2:05:51] join the team to help, you know, work
[2:05:54] hard and and get things
[2:05:56] um
[2:05:57] going and support the goals that you
[2:05:59] guys have
[2:06:01] been working on so hard. So, it would be
[2:06:03] an honor. Anyway, is that
[2:06:05] Does that help?
[2:06:07] That's fantastic. Thank you.
[2:06:09] Okay, thank you. Um I you know, we we
[2:06:12] are really thankful uh for you you know,
[2:06:15] volunteering your time um and uh
[2:06:18] wanting to join this board Council
[2:06:19] member Dugan. I do appreciate you
[2:06:21] retiring from this work and then going
[2:06:24] right back into it and that your
[2:06:25] advocacy for it.
[2:06:27] Uh
[2:06:27] we need people like you
[2:06:29] uh
[2:06:30] standing on the uh
[2:06:32] stool and and and uh
[2:06:34] really advocating for all this great
[2:06:36] work. So, I appreciate that and thank
[2:06:37] you for stepping up to the plate.
[2:06:41] You're welcome. I've had 3 years to
[2:06:44] go
[2:06:45] travel and do my own thing, so
[2:06:48] I've um
[2:06:50] think I have the energy again
[2:06:53] to get back in and work hard, so thank
[2:06:55] you for considering me and for the
[2:06:58] opportunity. I appreciate that. Thank
[2:07:00] you. We uh as you know, the process goes
[2:07:03] your name is going to be put on the
[2:07:04] consent agenda on the formal meeting
[2:07:07] tonight.
[2:07:08] You don't need to attend
[2:07:10] to
[2:07:12] to be appointed to this board. The
[2:07:15] administration will reach out to you
[2:07:17] with more information soon after.
[2:07:20] Okay, sounds good. Thank you very much.
[2:07:22] Thank you.
[2:07:24] Now looking into a board appointment for
[2:07:28] the Housing Authority again of Salt Lake
[2:07:30] City. Turner Bitten, are you online?
[2:07:42] Um can someone reach out to Turner and
[2:07:44] see if he will be joining shortly cuz I
[2:07:47] think it will inform whether or not we
[2:07:49] reschedule this board appointment. I
[2:07:51] think we'll have
[2:07:52] a sort of longer close session. We could
[2:07:55] go to
[2:07:56] report of the chair and announcements to
[2:07:59] just maybe buy a few minutes.
[2:08:00] » Yes, let's do that.
[2:08:05] Um Report of the chair and vice chair.
[2:08:08] » Yes,
[2:08:09] moving on to
[2:08:11] there is no report from ours. Now
[2:08:14] standing items report and announcements
[2:08:16] from the executive director Jen. Yep,
[2:08:18] and this one we just wanted to make sure
[2:08:21] that you guys know that agenda packets
[2:08:23] will shift to Fridays during the the
[2:08:25] just to give our staff a little extra
[2:08:26] time to
[2:08:27] get that information together and thanks
[2:08:29] in advance to the administration for all
[2:08:32] of the questions we're about to send.
[2:08:34] Um, meetings are also going to adjust
[2:08:36] starting at 1:00 p.m. Um, unless
[2:08:37] otherwise noted, we will adjust if we
[2:08:40] can avoid starting at 1:00, but
[2:08:42] we're kind of just holding that space
[2:08:44] while we can. Um, we're also starting
[2:08:46] Thursday meetings maybe a little bit
[2:08:48] earlier than some of you who've been
[2:08:50] around for a while um are used to. So,
[2:08:52] our first Thursday meeting will actually
[2:08:53] be next week. Um, Thursday the 14th. We
[2:08:56] will um
[2:08:59] we will um
[2:09:01] be in touch with you guys about the
[2:09:02] timing of those Thursday meetings. It's
[2:09:04] possible that they'll be shorter and so
[2:09:06] hopefully wrapped up either, you know,
[2:09:09] if they start if they have to start
[2:09:10] after 5:00 in order for everyone to get
[2:09:12] here, hopefully they won't go too late.
[2:09:13] Or if we need to be done by 5:00, we'll
[2:09:15] just kind of be in touch
[2:09:17] um about that.
[2:09:18] Uh, the goal there is to get as much
[2:09:21] information kind of into the council's
[2:09:23] um minds so that as you figure through
[2:09:26] what um budgets you're comfortable with
[2:09:29] both with and without a property tax
[2:09:31] increase, you have kind of as much
[2:09:33] information as possible as early as
[2:09:35] possible.
[2:09:36] Just confirming all of these will have a
[2:09:37] virtual option.
[2:09:39] All of these will have a virtual option.
[2:09:40] Yes, absolutely.
[2:09:42] Um, and so then
[2:09:45] uh, this list of this is the list of
[2:09:47] dates. So, um feel free to read through
[2:09:50] them and um let staff know if you have
[2:09:53] any questions.
[2:09:54] Um, the CRA budget will be discussed on
[2:09:58] Tuesday, May 19th. So, that's why we're
[2:10:00] having a CRA meeting on that night.
[2:10:03] We've kind of reaffirmed with CRA that
[2:10:05] if the council or board has more
[2:10:07] questions, we can add, you know, brief
[2:10:09] CRA meetings as needed um after that.
[2:10:13] Okay, that's it. I don't know if Turner
[2:10:16] is here yet.
[2:10:17] » [laughter]
[2:10:18] » Um
[2:10:19] thank you. Um, we we're going to you're
[2:10:21] embarking on a on the budget. We're
[2:10:23] excited to to ask some questions and to
[2:10:26] receive some answers and to get to the
[2:10:28] bottom of it.
[2:10:30] Um
[2:10:30] Uh,
[2:10:31] let
[2:10:32] let's see if Councillor Bitten
[2:10:35] is online.
[2:10:39] No?
[2:10:40] No?
[2:10:42] Okay. We can reschedule his interview
[2:10:44] for another day
[2:10:46] and just will have to remember to pull
[2:10:48] it from the consent agenda. So. Yes, we
[2:10:50] need to pull it from today's consent
[2:10:52] agenda, but we can
[2:10:54] we can
[2:10:56] add it to a different agenda in the
[2:10:58] future.
[2:11:00] Okay, so that brings us to
[2:11:04] potential closed meeting.
[2:11:06] Council members.
[2:11:11] » [snorts]
[2:11:12] » Mr. Chair, I move that we go into
[2:11:16] closed meeting to discuss
[2:11:20] um
[2:11:22] uh, yeah. Okay, thank you. Um
[2:11:30] character, professional competence, or
[2:11:32] physical or mental health of an
[2:11:33] individual
[2:11:35] and attorney-client matters. And then
[2:11:37] can we add labor negotiations as well?
[2:11:40] » An update on yes, labor negotiations.
[2:11:43] Second.
[2:11:49] I have a motion by Councillor Warden and
[2:11:50] a and a second by Councillor Duggan. I
[2:11:53] Councillor Member Petro.
[2:11:55] Aye. Councillor Member Warden. Aye.
[2:11:57] Councillor Member Carlson. Aye.
[2:11:59] Councillor Member Young. Aye. Councillor
[2:12:01] Member Duggan. Yes. And I may
[2:12:03] Yes,
[2:12:06] that passes unanimously with one
[2:12:08] Councillor missing from the meeting. Six
[2:12:12] uh,
[2:12:13] passes unanimously. Thank you.
[2:12:17] Yeah, we are adjourned after that and
[2:12:19] then we're going to join into a formal
[2:12:21] meeting at 7:00 p.m.
[2:12:23] Thank you.
[2:12:40] » [music and bell]
[2:12:46] [music]