3 takeaways from Mayor Mendenhall's State of the City address
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Mayor Erin Mendenhall delivered her sixth State of the City address Tuesday, emphasizing her focus on solving the city's issues.
Context: 2024 was a major year for the city, with the International Olympic Committee choosing Salt Lake City to host the 2034 Winter Games and the arrival of the Utah Hockey Club.
Yes, but: Homelessness and the city's critical shortage of affordable housing units continue to pose a challenge for city leaders.
What they're saying: "The Salt Lakers of today need and deserve a city that dares to take action on the challenges we're facing right now," she told an audience comprised of state and local leaders at the Salt Lake City Public Library.
Here are three takeaways from her speech:
Committing to the city's public employees
Mendenhall said she's committed to providing city employees with fair treatment, competitive compensation and equitable benefits in the wake of the Utah House advancing a bill this week to end collective bargaining for public sector unions that represent teachers, firefighters and police.
By the numbers: About 60% of city employees are represented by unions, Mendenhall said.
Solving homelessness and investing iaffordable housing
With a shortage of almost 20,000 affordable housing units, Mendenhall is proposing $5 million to go toward the construction of deeply affordable housing to those who "need it the most."
- Deeply affordable housing is aimed at people whose income is less than 30% of the area median income.
State of play: The mayor is also seeking to help expedite the expansion of the Other Side Village with an additional 200 units to be built in the next year.
What we're watching: Mendenhall said the public can keep track of the city's investments with the new online Affordable Housing Construction and Preservation Dashboard.
Smith's Ballpark makeover
Mendenhall announced the city is moving forward with the partial adaptive reuse proposal for Smith's Ballpark.
- The Salt Lake Bees' planned departure allowed the city to reimagine the 13.5 acre-site.
- City leaders invited community members to participate in a design competition to rethink of new uses for the ballpark and eventually hired a Chicago-based design firm to come up with three proposals.
Zoom in: The proposed mixed-use urban space would preserve portions of the stadium and include an entertainment, retail shops and community park.