Happy Wednesday!

• ☀️ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high of 84.

Today’s newsletter is 906 words — a 3.5-minute read.

A Republican-backed constitutional amendment on the November ballot could make it harder to pass citizen-led ballot initiatives that increase taxes.

Why it matters: Critics say Amendment B would dilute Utahns' voting power.

How it works: Under Constitutional Amendment B, ballot initiatives that raise taxes would need 60% voter approval, up from the simple majority required now.

State of play: The proposal is backed by the Utah Taxpayers Association and Taxpayer Shield PAC, which argue that tax increases should require broader support than a simple majority.

• "If you want to raise your neighbors' taxes, you should have broad support from your neighbors," Sen. Lincoln Fillmore (R-South Jordan) and Rep. Jason Kyle (R-Huntsville), who are behind the resolution placing the issue on the ballot, said in a statement.

Catch up quick: If the amendment had existed in 2018, it would have blocked two high-profile citizen initiatives that expanded Medicaid and legalized medical marijuana. Each passed by a slim majority.

The big picture: The constitutional amendment comes as several state legislatures across the U.S. attempt to raise barriers for citizen-led ballot initiatives, a process voting rights advocates say serves as an important check on government, according to the Campaign Legal Center.

The other side: Utahns Protecting Our Constitution, a political issues committee, launched an opposition campaign last month, calling the proposed amendment "unnecessary."

• Elizabeth Rasmussen, who is leading the committee, tells Axios that Utahns have had the right to pass ballot initiatives that raise taxes by a simple majority for more than 125 years.
• "Allowing 40% of the population to block some of these policies just doesn't seem right," she says.

Flashback: Republicans in 2024 approved a constitutional amendment that would have allowed state lawmakers to alter or repeal citizen initiatives.

• While the question appeared on the ballot, a judge voided it after ruling the ballot language contained "glaring" omissions.

What we're watching: Republicans' push for the amendment comes at a time when cost of living and housing affordability issues are major concerns for Utah voters.

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Thousands of Utah school kids start the day on a diesel-powered bus with a driver behind the wheel. Now, school districts are struggling to afford both.

Why it matters: The Iran War is sending diesel costs higher, straining district budgets just as they're grappling with a yearslong bus driver shortage, Axios' Josephine Walker reports.

What they're saying: "You end up moving finances around to be able to cover [fuel], so you're taking money from one area and putting it toward another. Someone's missing out," Lane Findlay, spokesperson for the Weber school district, told FOX13 last month.

By the numbers: Higher diesel prices are costing the district about $32,000 a month more than last year, Findlay said.

The big picture: Districts nationwide are consolidating routes and cutting trips — which can cause headaches and confusion.

Case in point: A family friend of mine in Salt Lake discovered her usual Sugar House bus stop had been cut from the route without notice after her first day at middle school this year.

• She and a few other kids were instead taken downtown and dropped off on State Street.

The other side: Salt Lake City School District gave its fuel costs a bit of a cushion by investing in 12 electric buses a few years ago.

• They mostly operate in the Rose Park neighborhood due to high air pollution levels there.

Zoom out: Fuel prices hit even harder in rural districts, where kids may live many miles from school.

Nationwide struggles

⚖️ The Utah Supreme Court heard arguments this week in a lawsuit alleging that lawmakers acted unconstitutionally when they created a separate court this year to weigh cases dealing with the state constitution. (KUER)

• The lawsuit follows GOP-led efforts to restructure state courts following multiple recent courtroom defeats.

✈️ SLC airport is adding nonstop routes to vacation hotspots like Flagstaff, Arizona; Sonoma and Monterey, California; and daily flights to Moab. (KSL)

🎅 The Sugar House Santa Shack is searching for a new home after 80 years in the neighborhood, because it's in the path of the ongoing S-Line streetcar extension. (FOX13)

• Bea Arthur moment: When Erin went to the shack to take pictures for a story a couple years ago, Santa asked if she was the kids' grandmother. 😐
• Bruce Willis moment: Erin's husband heard this and replied, "Well, it is Utah."

Steenblik Park — AKA "Cat Park" — is open with new playground equipment, a shade structure, extra trees and the signature cat sculptures.

Why it matters: The Rose Park green space has been closed for about a year of renovations.

Catch up quick: The park is named for Joseph Steenblik, a neighborhood do-gooder whose family owned a dairy.

• The cat sculptures are called the Dairy Cats, for the farm cats that kept vermin at bay.

We held our first Axios Social Club in Sugar House yesterday and capped off the night with Guinnesses and Modelos at Fiddler's.

💭 My thought bubble: There's nothing like connecting with people who love and care about Salt Lake City just as much as you.

• Plus, I scored an invite to a Halloweenie celebration. 🎃 🌭

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🍻 Kim made new friends at Fiddler's.

😩 Erin is still miffed about that grandma thing.

This newsletter was edited by Astrid Galván.