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SALT LAKE CITY -- Salt Lake City's huge budget problems are not stopping projects and ideas from moving forward. Friday the City Council met informally at a retreat at Fort Douglas to make a priority list.
Several huge, multi-million dollar projects are underway right now in Salt Lake City, like rebuilding North Temple as a TRAX-centered boulevard. The city also is heavily invested in dozens of smaller items, like a sewer drain project on 900 South.
These projects are happening when the economy is bad and as the city faces a budget gap almost $19 million wide this year.
So, what's next? The City Council spent Friday trying to figure that out.
Council Chairman J.T. Martin says, "Money is short right now. So everything we do, we have to take that very much into consideration."
But it turns out creating a priority list of council action items doesn't necessarily involve spending more money. For example:
- The council discussed designating neighborhoods as historic districts. It was a tough fight to come to agreement.
- The council also is continuing a measure to allow for liquor sales at restaurants that are within neighborhoods.
- There are streamlining measures in transportation and infrastructure improvements. All require staff time, which also is an investment.
Councilman Stan Penfold says, "We need to be looking out five and 10 years, not just the next two years, when we're going to have limited budget constraints. We need to be planning what happens when we have the ability to fund some new projects."
But there is hope, in the shadow of serious cutting of certain programs in the city. Many council members are optimistic about the rise of City Creek Center.
Councilman Van Turner says, "I think what's going to happen is we'll stabilize -- hopefully this next year -- stabilize and start growing again. (That) will give us the opportunity to do these projects out there to make our neighborhoods better."
Many of the projects now underway have already been paid for.
The council says hard times will continue to affect residents little by little until the economy really improves.
E-mail: rpiatt@ksl.com
