Transmittal - 3/16/2023
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE
POLICY AND BUDGET DIVISION
451 SOUTH STATE STREET, ROOM 238
PO BOX 145467, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84114-5455 TEL 801-535-6394
ERIN MENDENHALL
Mayor
MARY BETH THOMPSON
Chief Financial Officer
CITY COUNCIL TRANSMITTAL
___________________________________ Date Received: ________________
Lisa Shaffer, Chief Administrative Officer Date sent to Council: ___________
______________________________________________________________________________
TO: Salt Lake City Council DATE: March 16, 2023
Darin Mano, Chair
FROM: Mary Beth Thompson, Chief Financial Officer
SUBJECT: FY 2023 Open Legislative Intents February Responses - Revised
SPONSOR: NA
STAFF CONTACT: Randy Hillier, (801) 535-6606 or
Mary Beth Thompson (801) 535-6403
DOCUMENT TYPE: Legislative Intents
RECOMMENDATION: The Administration is forwarding to the City Council responses to the
City Council’s FY 2023 adopted legislative intents and further responses from prior fiscal year’s
open legislative intents. The Administration’s final responses to the above-mentioned legislative
intents will be contained in the FY 2023-24 Mayor’s Recommended Budget Book.
BUDGET IMPACT: None
PUBLIC PROCESS: Public Hearing
Lisa Shaffer (Mar 16, 2023 14:11 MDT)03/16/2023
03/16/2023
Outstanding Legislative Intents
Fiscal Year 2015 to Fiscal Year 2023
Listed by Lead Department
1
Attorney’s Office
FY 2023 - Boarded Building Fee – It is the intent of the Council to ask the Administration for a timeframe when the
Council can consider an updated boarded-building fee, or request that the Attorney’s Office provide a draft directly to the
Council Office.
FY 2023 Administration Response - A transmittal will soon be submitted by the department with the
requested fee and details regarding the program associated with the fee.
FY 2022 - Update Boarded-Building Fee - It is the intent of the Council that the Administration propose a boarded
building fee that includes the full City costs of monitoring and responding by Police, Fire and other City departments at
these properties.
FY 2023 Administration Response – See the response to the FY 2023 – Boarded Building Fee intent above.
Prior Year’s Response - The cost analysis related to this Legislative Intent has been finalized. The program
is being developed.
FY 2023 - Open and Public Meetings Act (OPMA) – It is the intent of the Council to ask the Administration to
ensure that any City loan or grant processes comply with the Open and Public Meetings Act (OPMA). The Council could
request that the City Attorney’s Office develop an ordinance more specifically codifying this understanding.
FY 2023 Administration Response – Response forthcoming.
FY 2023 - Ordinance Governing Donations to the City - It is the intent of the Council that a new, more streamlined
donation ordinance be developed by the City Attorney’s Office for consideration by the Council in Fall, 2022. The Council
further requests that while this ordinance is being prepared, the Administration create a tracking sheet for any donations,
and work across City departments on a consistent process to support continued transparency and documentation of donor
intents. It is the Council’s intent to rescind the current ordinance at the earliest opportunity, in order to avoid stifling
opportunities for potential public/private partnerships.
FY 2023 Administration Response – This ordinance was completed and went through the codifying
process in the fall of 2022. A final version has not reached the codifiers website yet but should be placed on the
site soon.
FY2021 - Decriminalization Review of City Code - It is the intent of the Council that an in-depth review be
conducted of the City Code to consider items that could be de-criminalized. Council staff could work with Council
Members and the City Attorney’s Office to draft a scope and come back with a report on the timeline.
FY 2023 Administration Response – Further response forthcoming.
Prior Year’s Response - The initial review of City code, which included a law student clerk and the
Prosecutor’s Office, revealed that more attention and expertise will be needed to complete this review, including
involvement of the Prosecutor’s Office. The project will be continued in the coming fiscal year.
Communities and Neighborhoods (CAN)
FY 2023 - Free Fare in Winter Months – It is the intent of the Council to ask the Administration to build on the
success of Free Fare February in 2022, seeking partners to provide funding again next winter and extending it for three
months. The Council would fund the City portion of the cost through a future budget amendment.
FY 2023 Administration Response - The City is mostly in an advocacy role. The Mayor’s office has been
continuing conversations with UTA, regional, and State leaders.
Outstanding Legislative Intents
Fiscal Year 2015 to Fiscal Year 2023
Listed by Lead Department
2
FY 2023 - Expediting Traffic Calming Projects – It is the intent of the Council to ask the Administration to evaluate
the workflow among CAN and Public Services Divisions that delivers previously-funded traffic calming projects, identify
any bottlenecks in the system, and return to the Council with suggestions for ways to address them.
FY 2023 Administration Response - The Transportation Division is just beginning the process of working
with the Engineering Division to implement the Livable Streets Program. Within the zone-based side of the
Livable Streets Program, project complexity will determine the Engineering Division’s involvement in design
and construction. Simple projects that only involve off-the-shelf designs, will be managed by Transportation
Division staff utilizing on-call city contractors. More complex projects will utilize Engineering Division staff to
design and advertise projects for bidding and construction. Projects falling into the quick-build side of the
Livable Streets program will utilize off-the-shelf designs with on-call city contractors to speedily install traffic
calming devices/elements. The intent is that Engineering will not need to be involved in the quick-build
program. Transportation and Engineering will work together to develop a metric by which a project is
identified as off-the-shelf/quick-build vs. complex. Data and experience from the first calendar year of the
program’s operation will help Transportation and Engineering identify any bottlenecks in the system.
FY 2023 - Youth and Family Program Streamlining – It is the intent of the Council to ask the Administration to
evaluate whether to consolidate all City youth and family programs into the Youth & Family Division. The purpose would
be to increase efficiency and propose options for future budget discussions. Additionally, the Council would like the
Administration to evaluate the City’s role in youth and family programming in relation to other community organizations
to identify efficiencies and reduce duplication, factoring in overall community demand for those services.
FY 2023 Administration Response - Evaluate whether to consolidate all City youth and family programs
into the Youth & Family Division, purpose is to increase efficiency and purpose options for future budget
discussions)
Some factors to consider:
• YouthCity provides seamless out of school time programs for youth ages 6-18. Several factors distinguish YC
programs from other City, nonprofit and school-based programs and services.
• YouthCity is offered at a reduced cost to all City residents. This is possible based on our braided funding
stream of general fund dollars, grants, foundation dollars, and parent fees while building upon existing City
infrastructure in parks and the Sorenson Campus.
• YouthCity is designed to support and augment school day learning using evidence-based curriculums. All
programs undergo a rigorous assessment 4 times per year.
• There are three additional youth programs offered by the Salt Lake City Police Department and a
vocational program offered by the Salt Lake Fire Department. Each of the programs exist under the
direction of staff who are experts in their field.
What is the City’s role in Youth and Family programs in relation to other community providers.
• Since inception, YouthCity has actively partnered with other service groups and out of school time
providers. In 2005, YouthCity, Salt Lake City School District, and the Utah State Department of Workforce
Services jointly submitted and was awarded a Mott Foundation grant to establish the Utah Afterschool
Network. UAN sets the standard for quality, staff training requirements and networking for providers
locally, regionally, and statewide. All programs receiving federal and state funding participate in a quality
out of school time evaluation. Youth and Family staff have maintained an active leadership role in UAN. The
most recent data indicates that there are 3 out of school time slots for every 5 youth needing support and or
care.
FY 2022 - Trips-to-Transit Expansion Evaluation - It is the intent of the Council that the Administration provide
their strategy for evaluating whether to expand the Trips-to-Transit program, which will begin to serve Westside
neighborhoods in late 2021, to other areas of the City.
Outstanding Legislative Intents
Fiscal Year 2015 to Fiscal Year 2023
Listed by Lead Department
3
FY 2023 Administration Response - This program has far exceeded expectations for usage in its first year.
While we are pleased with the overwhelming success of the program, there has been some degradation in
service as a result of its popularity. We recommend allowing another 1-3 years to figure out the proper
funding/service levels for the current service area so that we have a better idea of what it would take to expand
to other areas.
Prior Year’s Response - The Transportation Division uses ridership levels and cost-per-rider data as guides
to potential expansion. Data from Phase 1 (service to Westside communities) will be available in the next year
or two and will allow the Transportation Division to forecast the potential for expansion in these
neighborhoods.
FY 2021 - Transfer Housing Trust Fund Development Loans and Payments to RDA - The Council intends to
transfer the Housing Trust Fund’s housing development-loan-related balances and payments to be overseen by the RDA.
During FY 2020, HAND and the RDA developed a detailed “housing framework” for consideration by the RDA Board and
the Council. These bodies may wish to schedule time once the FY21 budget is complete to finalize this work, which may
include changes to City ordinances and/or board policies.
FY 2023 Administration Response - On May 3, 2022 in BA7, Council approved the transfer of the Housing
Trust Fund’s balance sheets and loans to the RDA. The physical and electronic loan files have been transferred
to the RDA, and Housing Stability staff continue to work with the RDA and the Attorney’s Office to ensure a
smooth transition of the HTF loans, and prepare code modifications for the HTF Advisory Board, Code 2.80.
Prior Year’s Response - The Housing Stability Division continues to administer these loans and assist the
HTF Advisory Board. This year, the Finance Department will prepare a budget amendment to transfer the
balance sheet of the loans, and coordinate with RDA for a corresponding budget amendment to accept the
balance sheet. Once the loans are transferred, the Attorney’s Office will prepare and review with the Council
the needed code modifications related to restructuring the HTF Advisory Board.
Finance Department
FY 2023 - Tenant Ombudsman – It is the intent of the Council to ask the Administration to explore adding a tenant
ombudsman in the Landlord/Tenant Program (also known as the Good Landlord Program) to serve the growing number
of renters among City residents. The Council requests that the Administration return with a potential scope of work for
one or more FTEs, keeping in mind services already provided by outside agencies to avoid duplication, and building on
work done by the City’s consumer financial protection analyst.
FY 2023 Administration Response - To serve the growing number of renters among City residents, the
Landlord/Tenant Program utilizes various agencies to identify violations of tenant protections. Such services
include disputes with their landlord over various issues including not returning the deposit, lease agreement
issues, eviction process, terminating the lease, etc. Tenants are referred to Utah Legal Services and other
various agencies.
Other services and resources we currently refer City residents are:
• Utah Legal Service – Income restricted
• Disability Law Center
• Housing Coalition
• Pro-Bono Initiative
• HUD Assistance - Offers Renter’s Kit & Fair Housing Information
• Utah Anti-Discrimination and Labor Division
• Utah Bar Association
• Utah State Courts -Renter’s Rights
• The Good Landlord, Tom Wood
• Landlord-Tenant Mediation program through Utah Community Action
• Tenant Legal Representation program through Utah Legal Services
Outstanding Legislative Intents
Fiscal Year 2015 to Fiscal Year 2023
Listed by Lead Department
4
With the Landlord/Tenant program referrals above and the proposed scope of work for the Tenant
Ombudsman (Consumer Protection Analyst FTE) under the Housing Stability Division the Administration
believes that the services provided are wraparound services for the tenants of Salt Lake City. The Consumer
Protection Analyst would work closely with community partners and the City’s Landlord/Tenant team to
identify violations of tenant protections and coordinate existing tenant education, mediation services, legal
services, and eviction prevention resources. The Consumer Protection Analyst will develop methods and find
venues to conduct community education and outreach to raise public awareness of the programs while
identifying policy gaps in tenant protections.
While this is the direction in which we feel the ombudsman position should potentially follow, we seek the
advice of the Council on any additional work that they would like either the Landlord/Tenant or the Consumer
Protection Analyst to undertake.
FY 2023 - Covenants Education in the Landlord/Tenant Program – It is the intent of the Council that the
Administration include training for property owners on Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CCRs) in the City’s
Landlord/Tenant Program. This training should clarify the differences between enforceable CCRs and unconstitutional
CCRs, including those which would discriminate against a federally recognized protected class. The Council also requests
that implicit bias training be added to the program’s education materials.
FY 2023 Administration Response - The City’s Landlord/Tenant program currently collaborates with The
Good Landlord, which is owned and operated by Tom Wood. Tom has over 30 years of experience in the
apartment industry. He has worked as a Regional Manager, Vice President, President, and Owner of
apartment portfolios of up to 5,000 apartments in seven Western States. Tom served as president of the Utah
Apartment Association in 2010. The Good Landlord and the Utah Apartment Association are two separate
entities that provide training for landlords in Salt Lake City.
Tom Wood has confirmed that his training program does include the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions
(CCRs) in the City’s Landlord/Tenant Program. Tom’s current training also includes implicit biases such as
race, age, and gender. If the Council desires, we can have Tom Wood provide a short demonstration of his
training.
FY 2023 - Consolidated Fee Schedule Holistic Review – It is the intent of the Council to complete a holistic
evaluation of the City’s Consolidated Fee Schedule in conjunction with the Finance Department. This evaluation would
include equity considerations and evaluate whether to increase, reduce, or in some cases eliminate, City fees.
FY 2023 Administration Response - Finance is ready and available to take any council recommendations
for an evaluation of the CFS. Desired changes can potentially be submitted with the FY24 Budget.
FY 2023 - Grants and Ongoing Programs – It is the intent of the Council to ask the Administration to evaluate the
extent to which new City programs have been created through grants whose costs have continued beyond the life of the
grant. The Council will use this information to inform a policy or system for evaluating when and whether it is appropriate
for the City to create new programs with grants.
FY 2023 Administration Response - The Finance Department is working on a 5-year historical trend for
Grants move into programs. Further detail regarding the approach the Finance Department will take, and the
information gathered will be forthcoming.
FY 2022 - Expanded Funding Our Future Definition - It is the intent of the Council that the definition of “public
safety” for allocation of Funding Our Future revenue include not only the Police Department, Fire Department, and 911
Dispatch, but also any social workers and non-emergency traffic enforcement programs which are designed to expand the
City’s public safety alternative response model. (Note: The current definition included Fire and 911 Dispatch since
FY2020.)
FY 2023 Administration Response – Further response forthcoming.
Outstanding Legislative Intents
Fiscal Year 2015 to Fiscal Year 2023
Listed by Lead Department
5
Prior Year’s Response - The “public safety” allocations have been expanded to include social workers, park
rangers, and MRT (Medical Response Team) crews.
Fire Department
FY 2023 - Fire Department Costs – It is the intent of the Council to ask the Administration to evaluate:
a. options for recouping costs for calls at the University of Utah.
i. FY 2023 Administration Response - Salt Lake City Fire Department responds to Fire and Medical
calls on the University of Utah campus. As the university is tax-exempt, they are currently not paying
for our services. They are owned by the State of Utah which would require action by the Utah State
Legislature to allow a method of cost recuperation. The department maintains a strong working
relationship with the university regarding fire/medical response, as well as fire prevention.
b. the City’s hazardous materials ordinance, and implementation of that ordinance, to assure that the City is
reimbursed from private insurance payments to those responsible for an incident.
i. FY 2023 Administration Response - SLCFD follows the current city ordinance which allows for
cost recovery of negligent or otherwise purposeful acts requiring hazardous material response. The
individual or entity responsible is invoiced the actual cost of responding to the incident. The last several
years, the department has had a high success rate in collecting payment. Those payments are presented
to council via budget amendment for informational purposes and it allows our department to replenish
our specialty operations budget.
c. continue evaluating options for electrified Fire vehicles.
i. FY 2023 Administration Response - Electrified fire vehicles are currently being evaluated by Fire
and Fleet as potential options for future use. There are few electric fire truck/engine options on the
market and it’s important we select the suitable one for our response model. Fire and Fleet have
collaborated with early electric fire vehicle adopters and are evaluating all available options. In
addition to the vehicle itself, careful consideration of the current infrastructure is required to ensure
seamless and continual operations. It is anticipated that the electric fire vehicle will be successful in Salt
Lake City. Fire is committed to our environment and it’s a matter of when, not if, we acquire electrified
heavy apparatus.
Mayor’s Office
FY 2023 - Evaluating Efficiencies across Diversified Response Teams – It is the intent of the Council to
periodically evaluate the diversified response teams across the City to determine whether there are opportunities to
eliminate redundancies and/or gain new efficiencies.
FY 2023 Administration Response – Response forthcoming
a. The following programs would be included as part of the “diversified response model”:
i. Fire Department – Community Health Access Team (CHAT), Medical Response Team (MRT)
ii. Police Department – Social Worker Co-Responders, Civilian Response Team
iii. CAN (in partnership with other entities in some cases) – Downtown Ambassadors (including expanded
areas), Homeless Engagement and Response Team (HEART), Code Enforcement
iv. Public Lands – Park Rangers Program
v. Public Services – Community Cleaning Program (CCP), Rapid Intervention Team
vi. 911 Department – partnership with Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT)
b. The Council would like the Administration to provide information in six months and in one year so that the
Council can evaluate these programs:
Outstanding Legislative Intents
Fiscal Year 2015 to Fiscal Year 2023
Listed by Lead Department
6
i. Clarify roles of each team and how a call for service is routed from one team to another.
ii. Track as much data as possible to determine which indicators are most important for future reviews.
These would include data such as: number of calls for service; number of diversions from a police-only
response; response times for teams; changes in police response times; volume of calls by time of day and
day of the week; referrals to other agencies; and other outputs and outcomes.
iii. Find ways to provide this data with the Council and the public in a coordinated way.
iv. Inform the public and other levels of government as these programs are rolled out.
FY 2023 - Importance of Plan Adoption – It is the intent of the Council that City departments and divisions rely only
on plans that have been duly adopted by the legislative body as the basis or building blocks for additional City policy or
budget guidance.
FY 2023 Administration Response – Response forthcoming.
Police Department
FY 2021 - Police Department Role - It is the intent of the Council to re-evaluate the role the City asks the Police
Department to play, and the budget to fulfill that role, and ask the Administration to evaluate moving certain programs
out of the Police Department, like park rangers and social workers, and potentially add a function to the Human
Resources Department to enhance the independence of the Internal Affairs unit.
FY 2023 Administration Response:
Social Workers - This years’ response- Hiring processes are ongoing to fill vacant positions. The police
department is looking into hiring part time social workers to help facilitate shift coverage on evenings and
weekends using attrition savings from the vacant positions.
Internal Affairs Unit - The Department hired a civilian director for the Internal Affairs Unit, which is now
part of the Chief’s Office. The director works closely with the City’s Human Resources Department, the
independent Civilian Review Board, and the public. This director is not a sworn officer, which allows for
increased objectivity, as well as for continuity and steady leadership since the position is not subject to rotating
assignments.
Police Civilian Response Team - Twelve PCRT ( Police Community Response Team) positions and 1
supervisor were funded for 6 months in the FY 2023 budget process. The Police Department steering committee
has worked to establish the job descriptions, recruitment process, and address the training needs for these
positions. A hiring process was completed in December of 2022 and 10 qualified applicants will fill positions as
of 1/8/2023. An additional hiring process will be completed to hire the remaining 2 positions when the
program is established, and time allows. The training program is anticipated to take 14 weeks to complete. The
PCRT program will go into service when the equipment and training needs have been satisfied.
Prior Year Responses:
Social Workers - As hiring proceeds to fill the additional nine social worker positions authorized in the FY22
budget, covering evening and weekend shifts will become easier.
Internal Affairs Unit - The Department hired a civilian director for the Internal Affairs Unit, which is now
part of the Chief’s Office. The director works closely with the City’s Human Resources Department, the
independent Civilian Review Board, and the public. This director is not a sworn officer, which allows for
continuity and steady leadership since the position is not subject to rotating assignments.
Police Civilian Response Team - The CRT is planned as a response to police-related calls for service that
are categorized as low-hazard and non-emergency. A Police Department steering committee is working
through the logistics of adding this program, like training, job and duty descriptions, policies and procedures.
Outstanding Legislative Intents
Fiscal Year 2015 to Fiscal Year 2023
Listed by Lead Department
7
FY 2021 - Police Department Zero-based Budget Exercise - It is the intent of the Council to hire an independent
auditor to evaluate each line item in the Police Department budget with the goal of conducting a zero-based budget
exercise, which takes the budget apart and builds it back in a way that aligns with the policy goals of the Council, Mayor
and public. A report back to the Council would happen in September, or sooner if possible.
FY 2023 Administration Response - The Police Department continues to participate in program-based
budgeting which has facilitated budget reviews for programs beginning at a base level and evaluating current
program needs, not just based on historical budgeting. The process is dynamic and continues to progress while
the migration to the City’s new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is completed.
Prior Year’s Response - As a step toward zero-based budgeting, the Police Department participated in the
Administration’s initial efforts to undertake program-based budgeting during the formulation of the FY23
Mayor’s Recommended Budget. This process cannot get fully underway until the migration to the City’s new
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is complete.
FY 2021 – Police Department Reporting Ordinance - The Council intends to work with the Attorney’s Office to
create an ordinance that establishes reporting requirements for internal information collected by and related to the Police
Department.
FY 2023 Administration Response – Response forthcoming
Prior Year’s Response – Response forthcoming.
Public Lands Department
FY 2023 - Transition to Environmentally Sustainable Weed Control in Public Lands – It is the intent of the
Council to request the Public Lands Department, including the Golf Division, transition to environmentally sustainable
treatments for weeding and pest control in future years, acknowledging that this may require budget adjustments. This is
consistent with an existing Sustainability Department policy.
FY 2023 Administration Response - See Attachment #1
FY 2022 - Public Lands Maintenance - It is the intent of the Council that the Administration provide an estimate of
the funding that would be needed to adequately maintain all of the City's public lands. This estimate should include the
number of FTEs, as well as supplies, equipment, and appropriate signage.
FY 2023 Administration Response – See Attachment #2
Prior Year’s Response - The Public Lands Department is working on an estimate of funding needs, based on
a complex framework that includes full staffing at appropriate wages, replacement of failing infrastructure,
and unfunded responsibilities, including tasks like weed abatement and tree maintenance.
FY 2022 – Golf Fund Update - It is the intent of the Council that the Administration provide information on the
following items in anticipation of a work session briefing to review and discuss options for the Golf Fund. (Note: this item
consolidates Legislative Intents from FY21, FY20, and FY19.)
Golf Food and Beverage Options: A review of the specific open space zoning ordinances, with the goal of
removing barriers to providing additional food and beverage options in golf courses. To the extent that barriers exist
in State law the Council requests an analysis of those, and that changing them be identified as a future legislative
priority.
FY 2023 Administration Response - In August of 2021, the contracted concessionaire for 5 of the 6 Salt
Lake City golf courses ended their agreement with the City after 15 months of operations, citing financial
losses. These losses came despite the Golf Division waiving their fees and all revenue sharing for the entirety of
2020 due to the pandemic disruption.
Outstanding Legislative Intents
Fiscal Year 2015 to Fiscal Year 2023
Listed by Lead Department
8
• The Golf Division continued operations of the cafes at the five courses for the remainder of 2021. However,
the courses were not able to offer beer sales, which make up most of the concessionaire’s profits. The course
cafes lost a significant amount of revenue while trying to still provide café services to golf patrons.
• The Golf Division re-published the concessionaire RFP and contracted with a new concessionaire in early
2022 at five courses. The Golf Division cancelled the contract with the new concessionaire as of December 1,
2022 due to failure on the part of the concessionaire to make the contracted monthly payments.
• In early November of 2022, the Golf Division requested that the Contracts Division re-publish the previous
concessionaire RFP again so new proposals could be solicited during the winter months while the golf
courses were closed. However, the Contracts Division denied the Golf Division’s request to rush the re-
publishing of the previous proposal. Because of this, it is uncertain when new contracts will be able to be
negotiated at the five remaining golf courses without a concessionaire agreement. Without a
concessionaire contract in place, no alcohol sales can be permitted at the Bonneville, Forest Dale, Glendale,
Nibley Park and Rose Park golf courses. The courses will provide basic bottled beverages, water and pre-
prepared snacks until new concessionaire agreements can be secured.
• The RFP for the Golf Division concessionaires is out on Bidsink.
• The Golf Division will reduce the revenue sharing and fee structure for potential concessionaires to make
operating a golf course café more profitable. The Division has provided additional investments in terms of
equipment, flooring and paint into the café spaces to improve the appearance of the spaces to help attract
new concessionaires.
The two main obstacles to providing additional food and beverage services are:
1. Lack of interest from potential concessionaires due to lack of revenue potential, difficulty in hiring and
retaining workers and providing needed upfront capital needed to begin the operations. Additionally, the
cost of providing expanded alcohol offerings is significant above a standard beer permit required to sell
beer at a recreation facility (golf course) and therefore concessionaires stick to selling only beer.
2. The State restriction to the City as an applicant for beer license. City Code 15.08.050 makes it unlawful for
a person to consume beer in a City park, unless it is a park in which the City has expressly granted a
concessionaire operating in the park a license to sell beer. The City’s golf courses are “parks” as defined in
chapter 15.04.
Prior Year’s Response - This part of the Legislative Intent specifies that the Golf Division should review the
specific open space zoning ordinances with the goal of removing barriers to providing additional food and
beverage options in golf courses. The Council also requested an analysis of any barriers that might exist in
State law, and that changing these laws be identified as a future legislative priority. The Division’s response
included the following information:
- In August of 2021, the contracted concessionaire for 5 of the 6 Salt Lake City golf courses ended their
agreement with the City after 15 months of operations, citing financial losses. These losses came despite the
Golf Division waiving their fees and all revenue sharing for the entirety of 2020 due to the pandemic
disruption.
- The Golf Division continued operations of the cafes at the five courses for the remainder of 2021. However, the
courses were not able to offer beer sales, which make up most of the concessionaire’s profits. The course cafes
lost a significant amount of revenue while trying to still provide café services to golf patrons.
Outstanding Legislative Intents
Fiscal Year 2015 to Fiscal Year 2023
Listed by Lead Department
9
- City Code 15.08.050 makes it unlawful for a person to consume beer in a City park, unless it is a park in which
the City has expressly granted a concessionaire operating in the park a license to sell beer. The City’s golf
courses are “parks” as defined in chapter 15.04.
- The Golf Division has re-published the concessionaire RFP and hopes to contract with replacement
concessionaires at the five locations for the 2022 season and beyond. However, absent new concessionaire
contracts, the Golf Division will offer reduced services at the remaining courses.
- The two main obstacles to providing additional food and beverage services are:
1. Lack of interest from potential concessionaires due to lack of revenue potential.
2. The State restriction to the City as an applicant for beer license.
- The Golf Division has proposed reducing the fee structure for potential concessionaires to make operating a
golf course café more profitable. It is also looking into areas of additional investment within the café spaces to
help make the operations more attractive to both concessionaires and customers.
Public Services Department
FY 2015 - Maintenance of Business Districts - It is the intent of the Council to hold a briefing regarding the costs of
enhanced services provided to the Central Business District, in order to consider: a) revising how City services are
provided and paid for, b) services that may be offered to other established or developing Business Districts in the City, and
c) maintenance of amenity upgrades (such as lighting and benches). It is also the intent of the Council that this discussion
happen in time to incorporate any changes into the renewal of the Central Business District agreement and Sugar House
Business District.
FY 2023 Administration Response - The topic of funding enhanced services in business districts has been
an ongoing discussion for many years. The current funding for Facilities’ CBD and SBD maintenance is
provided by the general fund and covers a variety of maintenance items at a basic level of service. Funding for
the maintenance of Regent Street improvements is still being subsidized by the RDA and has not been absorbed
by the general fund. Additional amenities that have been added over time have increased costs, yet operational
budget has not reflected an increase other than inflationary.
Currently, the Public Services Department does not have any mechanisms in place that allow for funding of
any additional services from sources outside the general fund. We do respond to demand and new requests, as
they are added through increased budget asks, but no additional expansion of programs are in place at this
time.
The Central Business Improvement Assessment Area Management Agreement was renewed this year with
Downtown Alliance and the Department of Economic Development and it does not cover CBD maintenance.
The SBD has no agreements in place or an officially defined area.
Prior Year’s Response - Several years ago, Public Services reported having had productive discussions with
RDA staff about various models to fund maintenance. Discussions focused on Central 9th and Regent Streets
and included considering how parking can support business district maintenance. Nothing further has been
reported since.
Public Utilities Department
FY 2023 - Water Usage by the City – It is the intent of the Council to ask the Administration to evaluate water usage
by the City and make recommendations for water conservation. This includes evaluation of water savings opportunities for
CIP projects.
FY 2023 Administration Response – Any tracking done within the City is done at the Public Lands and
Public Services department level. The responses from these departments are included below:
Outstanding Legislative Intents
Fiscal Year 2015 to Fiscal Year 2023
Listed by Lead Department
10
Public Services - The Facilities Division has implemented several water reduction strategies over the years
when and where possible. The Facilities Division has reduced water consumption over the last several years.
Any new capital projects are always reviewed for best practices in water efficiency and energy usage.
Public Lands –
FY 2023 -Water Usage by the City
It is the intent of the Council to ask the Administration to evaluate water usage by the City and make
recommendations for water conservation. This includes evaluation of water savings opportunities for CIP
projects.
Salt Lake City Parks Division – Water Management
Currently the Parks Division manages water usage based on monthly water bills provided by Public Utilities
for each park district. On some irrigation systems water flow sensors are installed to measure GPM to
determine if there are leaks and to shut off valves if necessary. Currently, the department’s only means to track
water savings is to adjust watering schedules and then review the monthly water billings.
Irrigation systems are a growing asset category that will continue to present significant challenges to Public
Lands in the face of continual drought. Many of our Public Lands irrigation systems were designed decades
ago and provide overhead irrigation water to the City’s Parks. During drought conditions, Public Lands are
required to reduce watering, and this presents a significant threat to our existing urban forest. Without regular
water during the summer months trees within the park system are at risk of suffering and eventual death. The
establishment of root watering systems that waters trees directly while being able to reduce overhead watering
is standard practice for all new project implementation, but old irrigation systems must eventually be modified
or replaced.
In the final update, the Department will provide an update of recent water management systems installed to
conserve and reduce water usage as well as funded and unfunded opportunities for water conservation. A
future asset management plan will provide accurate cost estimates for replacing old irrigation systems within
the public lands inventory.
Salt Lake City Golf Division – Water Management
The Golf Division manages water usage in two ways:
1. Daily water usage as applied on the courses utilizing software tied to flow meters as used by different zones
and expressed as gallons used. This data allows the course superintendent to adjust usage based on
weather conditions, turf needs, evapotranspiration data collected via a weather station located at the
course, soil moisture levels and other considerations.
2. Monthly water usage based on billings and usage data from Public Utilities managed flow meters to each
property and expressed as units per 100 cubic feet of water. The Golf Division’s water budget is set based
on the data correlated with the Public Utilities monthly billings, which are typically delayed by 2 to 3
months. The Golf Division also considers water usage on a 5-year average when setting water usage
targets and budgets.
Capital improvements can have a drastic impact on how a golf course looks and plays and how it competes in
the market. The most important asset on a course to bringing in more players is the playing surface, the
fairways, approaches, tees, and the greens. Food, beverage, and retail sales can also boost revenue, but
without healthy and properly conditioned greens, the players won’t be at the course to spend the extra dollars
on conveniences. First and foremost, the turf on every course needs a functioning and efficient irrigation
system that can keep the greens, green. In addition, utilizing sophisticated on-site weather stations, improving
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irrigation uniformity, and using state-of-the-art computerized control systems all can create considerable
savings of water and energy resources as well as improving the overall health and sustainability of the turf.
Public Lands will provide additional information in future updates on past water conservation activities and
future opportunities to improve irrigation systems. A preliminary estimate of systems and funding needs are
outlined in the FY2022 Public Lands Maintenance legislative intent response.
Redevelopment Agency (RDA)
FY 2023 - New Programs and Capital Accounts Review - It is the intent of the RDA Board in future budget years
to consolidate the budgeting and policy development steps for new programs so that funding is allocated once the Board
has had the opportunity to get a full understanding of the proposal and to exercise their policy making discretion. It is
further the intent of the Council to review by December 2022 all RDA accounts that contain balances to determine
whether the appropriations still align with the goals of the Board.
FY 2023 Administration Response - Staff will endeavor to prioritize policy development prior to the
allocation of funds for new programs. The request for providing account balance information requested in this
Legislative Intent is currently being undertaken as part of the preparation for the implementation of the new
ERP system
FY 2023 - Prioritize Equity and Variety of Professional Opportunities - It is the intent of the RDA Board to
continue to collaborate with the Administration and prioritize equity and inclusion in the Board's policy, oversight, and
budget decisions. In doing so, the Board intends to request options from the City Administration and RDA staff that
maximize opportunities for meaningful involvement for a wide array of developers and professionals. Further, it is the
intent of the Board to authorize funding for projects that support walkability and are built at a scale to encourage human
interaction and include architectural interest and variety.
FY 2023 Administration Response – This intent is understood by the Administration and is in line with
the Equitable and Inclusive Development Work Plan, which outlines the RDA’s equitable and inclusive
development goals as well as action items for staff to support these efforts. The goal of the plan is to
acknowledge the racial and social inequities that have historically existed within the redevelopment industries,
ensure that DEI strategies are utilized in RDA-funded projects, and enhance the ability of non-traditional
applicants to apply for Agency programs and offerings. Goals to this effect can be added to the Work Plan and
implemented when possible.
In December 2021, the Board approved the RDA Guiding Framework which includes the Agency’s Mission
Statement and Core Values. Neighborhood Vibrancy is one of these three values and incorporates Walkability
as one of the Livability Benchmarks, with the stated intent to “promote walkable neighborhoods and
connectivity, and support a safe, engaging pedestrian experience.” These benchmarks are utilized within the
prioritization and recommendations for Agency funding and participation within projects.
FY 2022 - Structure of Accounts within RDA and All Other Departments, including Fund Balances and
Previous Capital Projects - It is the intent of the Council/Board to review the full structure of RDA accounts with RDA
and Finance Staff, including fund balances and capital projects funded in previous years. The Board may wish to discuss
with the RDA and Finance staff the best way to get this information on a real-time basis. Staff note: The City’s Enterprise
Resource Planning (ERP) effort will help in tracking/providing this information in a less labor-intensive way, although
the horizon for full implementation could be a year or longer.
Prior Year’s Response - The efforts requested in this Legislative Intent are being undertaken as part of the
preparation for the implementation of the new ERP system.
Sustainability Department
FY 2023 - Sustainability Holding Account – It is the intent of the Council to allocate the following items in the
Sustainability Department to a holding account pending further discussion with the Council. The Council supports these
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items, but policy guidance from the Council is needed, and extends to the overall role that the City’s Sustainability
Department should play in the community.
a. $214,000 for EV Charging Stations,
b. $300,000 for electrified transportation planning, and
c. $125,000 food equity funding request.
FY 2023 Administration Response - The Sustainability Department discussed the holding accounts and
intended use of the funds with the City Council in work sessions held September through November 2022. The
Council has approved releasing the funds for expenditure and the Department is in process of establishing
agreements and launching projects.
Council-Led Intents
FY 2023 - CAN/RDA/DED Role Clarity – It is the intent of the Council to further clarify the roles of Community and
Neighborhoods, the Redevelopment Agency and the Department of Economic Development as they relate to housing and
commercial development and assistance.
FY 2023 - Rotating Outside Auditing of Each City Department – It is the intent of the City Council to re-establish
its practice of conducting management and performance audits of City departments, divisions, and functions on a rotating
basis in the coming years. These audits are in addition to the financial audit that the City Council oversees annually. The
audits are intended to bring consultants in for an independent look at existing City services to identify opportunities for
improved efficiencies. In addition to a focus on identifying potential efficiencies, the Council intends to ask the auditors to
identify or evaluate professional best practices, definitions of success for each program, metrics associated with key
functions, and any duplication that exists with other City departments and/or other levels of government. The Council
intends for the audits to inform evaluations of how City services are meeting residents’ needs while being fiscally
responsible with the taxpayer dollars.
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Attachment #1
FY 2023 - Transition to Environmentally Sustainable Weed Control in Public Lands
It is the intent of the Council to request the Public Lands Department, including the Golf Division, transition to
environmentally sustainable treatments for weeding and pest control in future years, acknowledging that this may require
budget adjustments. This is consistent with an existing Sustainability Department policy.
SALT LAKE CITY GOLF DIVISION – INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
The Salt Lake City Golf Division utilizes an approach to maintaining healthy, vigorous and resilient turfgrass commonly
referred to in the industry as Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM is a comprehensive approach to managing
turfgrass on our golf courses, utilizing a combination of control methods, with the end goal of achieving a more
sustainable and environmentally responsible golf course ecosystem utilizing significantly fewer chemicals. IPM for
turfgrass is promoted and supported by the Utah State University Extension.
IPM is based on several key premises:
• No single pest control method will be successful over the long term.
• Continuous monitoring the condition of turfgrass and the status of pests present.
• The mere presence of a pest does not justify taking action for control.
• Eradication (complete elimination) of pests is not necessary and is generally impossible.
• Healthy turfgrass can withstand greater damage or pressure from pests and recovers more quickly when
problems do occur.
IPM focuses on the basics of identifying pests, choosing pest-resistant varieties of grasses and other plants, enhancing
habitat for natural pest predators, scouting to determine pest populations and determining acceptable thresholds, and
applying biological and other less toxic alternatives to chemical pesticides whenever possible. Chemical controls should
have minimal effect on beneficial organisms and the environment and minimize the development of pesticide resistance.
There are three general control methods: cultural, biological, and chemical.
Cultural Control
Cultural control entails manipulating the planting, growth, and maintenance of turf or a landscape to make it less
attractive to a pest and reduce pest activity. The goal of cultural control is to keep the desirable turfgrasses healthy so
that weeds, diseases, and other pests have trouble gaining a foothold. Vigorously growing turf masks pest activity that
does occur. Healthy turfgrass is tolerant turfgrass. That is, healthy turfgrass can withstand some pest problems without
losing its quality and attractiveness. Healthy turfgrass is also more capable of recovering when problems do occur. Proper
care of turfgrass can reduce pest problems. Likewise, turfgrass may become more susceptible to problems when it does
not receive basic care. Proper cultural practices such as mowing, watering, aerating, and fertilizing are essential to
maintaining healthy turfgrass.
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Biological Control
The biological approach to control uses living organisms, or their products, to reduce pest populations. The turfgrass
environment contains many naturally occurring insects, mites, nematodes, bacteria, and fungi that naturally reduce
turfgrass pests. These organisms act as predators, parasites, or disease agents of the pests. Our superintendents have
two basic options in terms of biological control:
• Enhance or preserve the effects of natural enemies that already exist in the turfgrass.
• Introduce commercially produced biological organisms into the turfgrass systems.
Using chemical controls before warranted may kill natural predators. Indiscriminate or preventive pesticide use also may
kill natural predators and allow reinfestation of pests.
More and more commercially produced biological controls are becoming available for managing turfgrass insects. Effective
use of biological controls requires skilled operators. Many conditions must coincide for this approach to work. Additionally,
biological controls are very specific. The biological-control approach can become costly when so many conditional
requirements exist for its effectiveness. When failure occurs, expensive reapplications may be necessary.
Chemical Control
Chemical controls include not only pesticides that kill pests, but also repellents, attractants or pheromones, and insect
growth regulators. Our superintendents can use two approaches to control a pest problem with pesticides. The approach
depends on the specific problem:
• Preventive applications. Prevent a pest outbreak by making an application before the problem appears.
• Reactive or curative applications. “Cure” a pest problem after the problem is noticed.
Often, preventive applications occur before any observable damage. Therefore, it is harder to justify the decision to use
this approach when using pure IPM. Turfgrass with a recent history of an insect or disease problem is a reasonable
candidate for the preventative approach. Certain annual weeds and some diseases are best controlled with pesticides.
Where possible, using reactive treatments is the more desirable approach. For example, most insects can be adequately
controlled after they are discovered, but before they cause significant damage. Also, dandelions are controlled when they
are young and actively growing.
We strive to use pesticides sparingly and, when necessary, we select short-residual pesticides and then rotate or alternate
pesticides that target a different mechanism of action. This helps to reduce the development of certain types of resistance
and lessens damage to golf course and surrounding ecosystems.
Industry Partnerships
The Golf Division partners with various industry specialists to guide and inform our staff in developing and implementing
environmentally sound golf course best management practices.
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
The Golf Division provides membership in the Utah Chapter of the Golf Course superintendents Association of America for
each of our golf course superintendent’s and their assistants.
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The Golf Course Superintendent’s Association of America (GCSAA) is the professional association for the men and women
who manage and maintain the game’s most valuable resource — the golf course. Today, GCSAA and its members are
recognized by the golf industry as one of the key contributors in elevating the game and business to its current state.
The Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG) fosters sustainability by providing funding for research grants, education
programs, scholarships and awareness of golf’s environmental efforts. Founded in 1955 as the GCSAA Scholarship &
Research Fund for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, the EIFG serves as the association’s
philanthropic organization. The EIFG relies on the support of many individuals and organizations to fund programs to
advance stewardship on golf courses in the areas of research, scholarships, education, and advocacy. The results from
these activities, conducted by GCSAA, are used to position golf courses as properly managed landscapes that contribute
to the greater good of their communities.
United States Golf Association
The Golf Division partners with the United States Golf Association’s (USGA) Green Section and utilizes the USGA Green
Section’s Course Consulting Services.
Through the work of its Green Section, the USGA has emerged as one of the world’s leading agencies devoted to golf
course turfgrass, its playing condition and its management. As a not-for-profit agency that is free from commercial
connections, the USGA Course Consulting Service is uniquely able to provide the impartial guidance for our golf course
managers to make informed decisions.
Since 1920, the USGA has funded more than $40 million on research projects conducted at universities across the
country. The research program facilitates collaboration with allied associations and government agencies to promote golf
course contributions to the environment. The scientific results advance the long-term viability of the game through
sustainable resource management and environmental protection.
Utah State University
The Golf Division has partnered with Utah State University and Salt Lake City Public Utilities on several turf grass studies
that are designed to provide a superior drought –tolerant turf grass for use in out-of-play areas. The goal is to reduce
overall water use as well as reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers in these areas.
Additionally, four new state-of-the-art weather stations are up and running on Salt Lake City golf courses (Bonneville,
Forest Dale, Glendale and Rose Park). The weather stations are the result of a Golf Division partnership with Salt Lake
City Water Conservation and Utah State University’s Climate Center and Center for Water Efficient Landscaping (CWEL).
These stations provide consistent, quality-controlled, localized weather data providing greater precision in
evapotranspiration (ET) estimates and are useful in water conservation infrastructure, such as smart controllers. This
project is being funded by Salt Lake City Public Utilities and a matching grant awarded to USU/CWEL through the Utah
Extension Water Initiative Grants Program (EWIG). The tools and data developed through this partnership will help to
shape a future sensor-based precision irrigation program for Salt Lake City golf courses.
Pesticide Application
All Golf Division superintendents and assistant superintendents are required to possess and maintain a noncommercial
pesticide applicators license with the Utah Department of Agriculture. The licensed applicators learn how to handle
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pesticides correctly to protect the applicator, the public and the environment from pesticide misuse. This certification or
license covers a lot of areas including laws, labeling, formulation and application.
SALT LAKE CITY TRAILS AND NATURAL LANDS DIVISION
Currently, most of Salt Lake City’s Natural Areas are highly disturbed, in that there is an abundance of noxious, invasive
and non-native species. In order, to provide effective control, herbicide is used in conjunction with cultural, biological and
mechanical practices to control of these weeds and unwanted species. (These terms are explained in the Golf section
above.)
Trails and Natural Lands currently operates from the 2012/2016 Invasive Pest Management Plan (IPMP) which includes
best practices for invasive species control in natural areas, as well as current functional practices for low-pesticide/no-
pesticide parks, gardens, farms and orchards.
The Department of Public Lands has contracted with SWCA environmental consulting to update the IPMP, this work has
been ongoing through the fall of 2022 and will be complete in Spring 2023. The Trails and Natural Lands Division will
utilize the new plan to develop annual management / work plans for vegetation management for all natural land
properties as recommended in Reimagine Nature MP Action 1.1 B.
SALT LAKE CITY PARKS DIVISION
The Parks Division of the Public Lands Department has been experimenting and adjusting standard operating procedures
in weed control primarily within turf areas of Salt Lake City Parks. Organic weed controls are being evaluated in certain
test sites to collect data and establish baselines that may be used in future planning, as well as understand the different
impacts an organic approach would have to Salt Lake City holistically. The Parks Division will work with Golf and Trails
and Natural Lands Divisions to adopt appropriate best practices and will have a sustainable weed management approach
determined by next year.
Attachment #2: Contained in the attached PDF
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Response to Legislative Intent Request
Prepared by Public Lands
Administration January 6, 2023
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Table of Contents
Introduction – Legislative Intent ................................................................................................................... 2
Importance of Parks ...................................................................................................................................... 2
A Commitment to Stewardship..................................................................................................................... 3
Goal 1. Evolving our Workforce .................................................................................................................... 4
Goal 2. Growth Gap: Matching Growth with Growth ................................................................................. 10
Goal 3. Address the City’s Aging Infrastructure .......................................................................................... 15
Goal 4. Improve Stewardship through Partnership Development and Community Engagement ............. 21
Goal 5. Resolve Structural Imbalances........................................................................................................ 23
Goal 6. Urban Forest Resilience .................................................................................................................. 24
Goal 7: Reduce or Eliminate Crime and Antisocial Behavior in our Public Spaces ..................................... 27
Summary Table ...........................................................................................................................................30
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During the FY21-22 budget session, Salt Lake City Council requested “the Administration provide an
estimate of the funding needed to maintain all the City's public lands. This estimate should include the
number of FTEs, supplies, equipment, and appropriate signage.” This document outlines the challenges
that have led to existing conditions, projects, processes, and funding needed to maintain Salt Lake City’s
Public Lands.
Public Lands Department Mission and Vision Statements
Mission: We enhance the livability of the urban environment through a diverse network of natural open
spaces, recreational opportunities, park facilities, city golf landscapes, the city cemetery, and urban
forest to ensure the resources under our management are stewarded carefully for future generations.
Vision: To create a lively system of connected public landscapes and living infrastructure that enhances
the community’s identity, sense of place, and quality of life.
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Unlike other city’s park systems, SLC has a wide variety of outdoor spaces to manage and care for: 1,694
Acres of Natural Lands and 6,423 Acres of Foothills Natural Area, 86,500 Urban Forest Trees throughout
our city, 6 City Golf Courses, over 70 miles of trails 609 Acres of parks and outdoor civic areas including
the city cemetery and sports complex.
Parks make cities and towns pleasant places to live and work and are essential for the physical, social,
environmental, and economic well-being of the community and people. They improve health by creating
spaces for physical activity, play, enjoyment of nature, and mental respite. In the National Park and
Recreation Association article: “Parks and Improved Mental Health and Quality of Life”, the author
explains that the closer people live to a park or green space, they are likely to experience less stress and
are more likely to walk or bike to that space to use it for physical activity and outdoor enjoyment. Parks
have so many benefits, some include:
● Collecting and treating stormwater, cleaning the air, absorbing up carbon dioxide and
greenhouse gasses to reduce the urban heat island effect, and mitigating storm surge and
flooding.
● Increasing home values, attracting economic investment, and attracting and retaining residents,
visitors, and businesses.
● Supporting habitats for plants and animals.
● Providing venues for social interaction, community expression and civic engagement.
● Creating areas where individuals and communities are healthier, happier, and more
economically and environmentally sustainable and resilient.
The health, environmental, and economic benefits of our public green spaces and the rise in park use
after COVID-19 shed light on the importance of our green spaces. We thank the Council for inquiring
about what is needed to maintain this precious resource.
Salt Lake City’s Reimagine Nature Master Plan Chapter 6 Protect, defines stewardship “as taking care of
public lands now and managing resources to protect public lands for future communities of people,
plants and wildlife.”
Providing adequate maintenance of Salt Lake City’s public lands is an increasingly complex issue,
involving funding deficiencies, aging infrastructure, growth of the City, staffing restraints, extreme
weather events, and increasing crime and antisocial behavior. We are constantly balancing the needs of
daily lawful park users and those using the park for disorderly behaviors and to commit crimes.
Additional factors that contribute to the quality of the public’s experience include the physical condition
and age of our assets, accessibility, perceptions of safety, relevance to the community served, and the
adaptability of the asset to changing circumstances.
Innovative and environmentally based approaches to improving our public lands are essential to make
long-term changes for the maintenance and security concerns of today. A well-designed and well-used
public space promotes community support and directly relates to increased use. Research by The
Citizens’ Taskforce on the Use and Security of Central Park found a direct relationship between the level
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of park use and the perception of security: the larger the number of visitors involved in positive
activities, the more likely anti-social behavior is deterred.
An accumulation of events impacting maintenance has led to a decline in Salt Lake City’s public lands
and park appearance. In some instances, this led to a decrease in constructive, legal park use and the
decay of safety perception. With these influences, the natural progression is increased crime and anti-
social behaviors occurring in our public spaces. The public's perception of safety and their desire to use
the space are linked closely to several factors: does the public space meet the needs of users; is the
park, trail, or golf course diverse and interesting; does it connect people with their community; does the
public green space look well-kept and cared for; and can it provide visitors with a positive image and
experience.
With these factors in mind, we created the following goals to adequately maintain all the City’s public
lands:
1. Evolving our Workforce
2. Match the growth of the City with the growth of our Public Lands System
3. Address the City’s Public Lands’ aging infrastructure
4. Improve stewardship capacity
5. Resolve structural imbalance
6. Urban Forest resilience
7. Reduce or eliminate crime and antisocial behaviors in parks, golf courses, trails, and natural
lands.
Reimagine Nature Master Plan Addresses Financial and Human Capital
The old adage “time is money” also relates to an organizational and individual capacity to implement
local environmental stewardship actions. Salt Lake City demographic trends share that more households
are falling below the affordability threshold for living and working in Salt Lake City. North American cities
with similar demographic trends struggle to balance the delivery of equal quality of life amenities (e.g.,
well-maintained public lands) with a greater percentage of the population needing additional support to
access those amenities equitably. Additionally, historical areas experiencing inequity are magnified and
struggle even more to catch up with quality and community stewardship of public spaces in affluent
neighborhoods. From an individual to an agency perspective, the Public Lands Department also faces
steep challenges balancing resources and keeping up with needs. As the City perpetually grows, the
Public Lands service gap could continuously widen. With over 30,000 new residents expected to move to
Salt Lake City by 2040, additional staff will be needed to maintain current staffing levels per capita.
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How We Got Here
Reduction in Seasonal Staffing
It has become increasingly more difficult to hire seasonal employees as SLC residents look for work with
higher pay, full-time employment, health care, and retirement savings plans. Historically, the
organization has relied on seasonal employees, working 9 to 10 months per year, to fill the increase in
seasonal demands for maintenance during warmer months.
When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law in March of 2010, it significantly impacted how
the Public Lands Divisions could hire and retain seasonal employees. Under ACA, employees that work
40 hours a week must be provided health insurance or terminated after six months of employment.
Public Lands operations begin in March and end in November (approximately nine months), this leaves a
3-month gap in the seasonal labor hours needed to maintain our parks and natural areas.
Rising Wages and Challenging Work Conditions
Public Lands employees are on the front lines of dealing with the daily realities of homelessness,
increasing drug activity, and crime. Park staff are confronted with law violations every day: stolen
property (copper wire removed from light poles, catalytic converters from equipment, theft from
personal cars), abandonment of property, damaging property (young and mature tree branches, and
wooden benches broken to build fires; irrigation heads broken to stop watering at night; fires in
restrooms), drug use and dealing, illegal fires, human defecation, littering, and threats to personal
safety. Despite the pay, these pressures have led some of our part-time and seasonal employees to quit
after only a few days of working. Several of our full-time employees have also left due to the safety of
their work conditions. Within the past five years, full-time park senior groundskeepers and the
groundskeepers’ positions have gone from coveted positions with multiple in-house applications to a
difficult-to-fill position with an average of 5 to 10 vacancies over the last year.
Because of these issues, it has been increasingly difficult to keep and retain part-time and full-time Park
Groundskeepers who are the backbone of labor for ongoing maintenance and landscaping.
Groundskeepers begin their workday at 6:00 am during the week and on weekends. They are
responsible for: cleaning public restrooms, clearing trash cans, weeding beds, mowing lawns, and
spraying fertilizer and herbicide. In 2020 when this report was initially conceived, these positions started
at $13.15/hr. for Groundskeepers and $14.89/hr. for Senior Groundskeepers. Since then, Public Lands
and HR performed a market analysis and compared it to the current condition's contemporary
designation to a Parks Landscape Maintenance Technician. The result of this analysis was a rename of
titles for both positions.
The market analysis and reclassification have added an additional tier of career development (Park
Maintenance Technician I, II, and II). The third tier incentivizes increased training to better staff skills,
while supporting employee development. In working with HR, Public Lands adjusted the pay scale to
better align with the higher pay of similar positions in Utah. The adjustments made are a starting wage
of $16.73/hr. for Park Maintenance I and $18.30/hr. for Park Maintenance Technician II. With the
approval of the FY23 budget, Council adopted the increase of part-time Parks Maintenance Technicians’
starting wage to $17.00 per hour. Although the new pay ranges are appreciated, they do not fully
address the discrepancy in working conditions in Salt Lake City as compared to other Utah cities. A more
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accurate analysis should compare the Salt Lake City job market to other intermountain west cities
indicating that our Park Maintenance Technician salary is still under compared to the market.
Unsheltered homelessness has forced thousands of people to sleep, eat, and live in public green spaces.
The parks, trails, and natural areas have become temporary homes for many individuals facing poverty,
substance addiction, mental illness, servitude, and other social concerns. Residing in these public green
spaces, however, creates a significant increase in maintenance challenges and a sense of frustration for
the park’s staff. The added time people spend in parks and along our greenways produces significantly
more trash and human waste and significantly inhibits staff’s ability to clean restrooms, pavilions, and
where camping occurs. The pronounced impacts are an increase in trash, vandalism, fire, and
environmental impacts. The less obvious are the concerns for employees. In terms of personal health
and safety, this has significantly impacted staff retention and recruitment. This is the top priority and a
challenge to adequately maintain our public green spaces.
Increasing Demand on Parks Supervisors & Operations Managers
Parks Division Supervisors are responsible for managing, delegating, and monitoring the work of their
team members out in the field. During the peak season, park supervisors hire additional seasonal
employees to cover the entire park. Parks employees are managing more special events, loading,
tracking, and signing off on electronic work orders (Cartegraph), spending and monitoring district
budgets, and communicating more often with the public.
Parks Operations Managers are needed to provide input on project development, construction,
management, and reviews previously managed by Engineering. Parks staff found that, despite written
standards and policies for construction, delivered projects did not meet specifications without the
oversight of a knowledgeable parks maintenance supervisor. The addition of a Parks Project Inspector
to the Parks team would concentrate on construction project reviews and inspections similar to how
Public Utilities manages their construction inspections and allow Operations Managers to better
oversee supervisors and daily operations.
Finding Solutions
Public Lands hires employees from every skill and education range. Unskilled positions are the most
difficult to fill. It’s no secret that in Utah and across the country, the number of open jobs each month is
higher than the number of people looking for work. The question is how to make Salt Lake City jobs
more desirable so that we can entice workers to join Salt Lake City’s workforce.
For several years, our work crews have been continuously short-handed; and our full-time staff
members are facing increased performance demands. Public Lands has opted to hire more seasonal and
part-time employees to address staffing demands. However, this solution also has its shortfalls. Finding
employees who only want six months of employment or a 20-hour work week is challenging.
In addition to the short duration of employment, some seasonal employees do not take the job
seriously. We often have seasonal staff that quit unexpectedly, switching to a different job which
creates high turnover in the middle of the season. Lastly, a short period of employment leaves little
training time for new employees and means that our supervisors spend much of their time training new
people on the same skills every year.
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Solution Options and Costs
Increase seasonal salaries from the current $13.15 lowest wage to $17.00 lowest wage. (Complete
with FY23 Budget)
The benefit of this option is continued seasonal flexibility and cost savings for the city in healthcare and
retirement benefits. This approach may not resolve the problem of finding employees who want
seasonal positions. Turnover, increased supervisor time to complete hiring paperwork, and training are
all challenges with this system. In the FY23 budget, Public Lands requested an additional $554,700 to
add $4.00 per hour to all part-time and seasonal employees.
Next Step – Use market analysis that measures the Salt Lake City job market salaries to comparable
other intermountain west cities with similar challenges
Hire twice as many part-time employees (20 or less hours per week) and keep them year-round.
This option has been effective in some instances. Staff who work year-round are more reliable, are a
consistent workforce, and training is only required once. However, it still presents the challenges of
finding employees who only want a 20-hour work week. Other strategies Public Lands uses are
Retention Bonuses, Signing Bonuses, and Training for Career Enhancement. Attrition savings covers
these strategies.
Provide seasonal or part-time employees health insurance or Health Reimbursement Account for a 9-
month period.
This strategy grants employees access to healthcare provides better health outcomes and improves
productivity for SLC Employees. It could increase loyalty and our rate of return/retention. It also satisfies
ACA rules so seasonal employees could be hired for 9-month periods, provisionally. Unfortunately, the
cost of this approach can be close to the same as hiring all full-time employees. Provision of healthcare
to SLC Employees triggers a requirement by URS to pay into that employee’s retirement plan, escalating
costs of Tier 1, 20.46%, and Tier 2, 16.69%, of the employee’s salary, plus insurance for single, double, or
family. This solution is not ideal as the costs are high while not resolving other issues around
recruitment, training, and excess paperwork.
Afternoon Parks Crews
General Park operations, mowing, irrigation repairs, trash removal, and restroom cleaning happen
between 6:00 am and 3:00 pm when the park is not active, and these activities do not disrupt visitor
use. However, because visitor use happens primarily between 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, a second crew to
manage visitor use, such as garbage removal and restroom cleaning, could result in a cleaner, safer park
and deter criminal activity. We propose adding 7 FTEs to operate an Events Crew to focus on cleaning,
events management, and minor landscaping during the active times of Liberty Park and other major
parks in the City.
Afternoon and Weekend Events Crew (FY24 Costs)
Ongoing costs: $598,000 One-time cost: $120,000
• Pros: Recruitment and retention
• Cons: Cost.
8
Park Inspector
The addition of a Parks Inspector to the Parks Division would provide targeted oversight of construction
projects’ design and implementation within Parks to ensure safety and other municipal specifications
are met. This position would be important given the numerous upcoming planned projects both within
Public Lands and other City Departments that require Public Lands maintenance services, including
Transportation and Public Utility projects.
Ongoing costs: $116,000; One-time cost: $72,500
Invest in full-time employees
To partially address the loss of seasonal help, the organization has moved some funding from seasonal
employees to full-time. We have managed these increases in costs internally, reducing the number of
seasonal FTE hours in the field to cover retirement and health care benefits.
Working conditions in our parks have changed dramatically with warmer temperatures and less snow in
winter months. Park staff work throughout the year as visitors use parks during the winter. When the
snow does fall, full-time staff are busy clearing snow from sidewalks and trails and removing fallen tree
branches when heavy wet snows come in the spring. Full-time staff offers a reliable and consistent
workforce where orientation training is only required once.
We propose a multi-year conversion of some seasonal groundskeeper positions to full-time employees.
As part of a three-year phased approach, we propose to add 7 full-time Parks Maintenance Technicians
in the first year, 7 FTEs in the second year, and 7 FTEs in the third year.
Phase
Full-Time
FTE
(New)
Full-Time
FTE's Cost
(New)
Seasonal
Dollar
Decrease
(offset)
Ongoing
operational
costs
Total
Ongoing
Cost
(New)
Additional
One-Time
Equip Funding
Required
Year 1 7 $595,000 ($158,025) $19,000 $455,975 $407,000
Year 2 7 $595,000 ($158,025) $23,000 $455,975 $289,000
Year 3 7 $595,000 ($158,025) $7,000 $455,975 0
Totals 21 $1,785,000 ($474,074) $49,000 $1,367,925 $696,000
What We Have Tried Already
Parks Squad and contracted security to lock restrooms at park closing.
In previous years, the Salt Lake City Police Department provided a Park Squad of dedicated officers that
routinely patrolled our City parks. This strategy exponentially made the work of Parks Grounds Tech
safer. Clearing restrooms at closing hours eliminates morning conflicts between staff trying to clean and
9
stock restrooms and unsheltered persons who may be sleeping. Unfortunately, the Parks Squad officers
were reassigned in 2021 to higher-priority duties. Since they have ceased patrolling the parks, we have
experienced more vandalism of our facilities more overnight camping, and more litter throughout the
parks. In an effort to fill this void, Parks hired contracted security to close restrooms in the summer of
2022. This was partially successful; however, the contractor has had a difficult time retaining staff to
perform this work and has since declined this work in our parks.
Next Steps - Public Lands is in conversation with SLC Police Department to reinstate police presence,
closing restrooms after park curfew and altering park users to closing ours. Funds to pay police officers
overtime is currently being calculated and the source of those funds is still to be determined.
Trails and Natural Lands Operations:
The Salt Lake City Natural Lands team provides ecological restoration and enhancement to properties,
noxious and invasive weed control, data collection, litter cleanup, environmental education to visitors,
and maintenance of native vegetation, landscape areas, natural surface trails, amenities, signage, and
irrigation.
In 2004 Salt Lake City voters passed a bond to help fund the acquisition of open space properties, and in
2008, we hired the first employee to manage those areas. Open space properties provide access to a
growing population of constituents who seek respite in natural areas and protect valuable water
resources and wildlife habitats. The Trails and Natural Lands team has one supervisor, two FTEs, and a
small seasonal budget that manages over 2000 acres of natural lands. The limited full-time positions for
Trails and Natural Lands have been mitigated in recent years through the hiring of additional part time
and seasonal employees. This approach is no longer sustainable given the current staffing shortages,
increased maintenance needs, and the growing portfolio of natural land properties throughout the city.
The Trails and Natural Lands Program suggests a 3-5-year plan for Trails and Natural Lands to increase
full-time maintenance positions to maintain the natural lands and trails throughout the city. These full-
time Natural Resource Technicians would help expand the capacity and increase the program's ability to
improve the ecological health and the resiliency of public green spaces. The following table represents
the FTE cost, ongoing employee and equipment cost, and additional one-time equipment funding
required. The following is a 3–5-year plan for Trails and Natural Lands Operational growth.
Phase
Full-
Time
FTE
(New)
Full-Time
FTE/Seasonal
Cost (New)
Ongoing
Employee
Cost (New
FTE's)
Ongoing
Equip Fuel
Cost (New
FTE's)
Total Ongoing
Cost (New)
Additional One-
Time Equip Funding
Required
Year 1
6 $536,195 $50,000 $24,000 $610,195 $385,000
Year 2 4 $314,000 $20,000 $24,000 $338,000 $100,000
Year 3 2 $144,000 $20,000 $24,000 $168,000 $100,000
Totals 12 $994,195 $90,000 $72,000 $1,116,195 $585,000
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The expansion of the Trails and Natural Lands Program focuses on two key areas: Ecological health and
maintenance of natural lands and foothill trails.
Year 1:
(1) FTE Restoration Ecologist (23)
(3) FTE Senior Natural Resources Technician (19)
(2) FTE Natural Resource Technicians (16)
(4800 Hrs) Seasonal Crews (Foothill Trail Maintenance Seasonals)
Year 2:
(1) FTE Division Director (31)
(3) Natural Resource Technicians (16)
Year 3:
(2) Natural Resource Technicians (16)
No state saw its population grow by a higher percentage in the past decade than Utah. As the
population grows, so will the demand for quality parks. In addition to Salt Lake City's notable downtown
and residential growth, alongside our growth in neighboring districts, additional demands continue to be
placed on Salt Lake City to expand and further invest in our urban parks.
Growing Population Without System Expansion Leads to More People in Parks
Salt Lake City is quickly growing with a growth trajectory of 7% from 2010 to 2020, adding approximately
13,000 new residents. As the City’s population continues to grow and density increases, so do the use of
its existing parks, natural lands, trails, and the maintenance required to maintain these spaces. More
people in the same parks means more trash and impacts to grass and shrubs from events and heavy use.
Since 2015, Salt Lake City has added three public green spaces: Imperial Park (2015; 1 acre), Allen Park
(2021; 7 acres), and 3 Creeks (2021; .5 acre). While this is substantial, the 2019 Public Lands Needs
Assessment indicates that Salt Lake City needs to add 94 acres of new parks by 2040 (nearly five acres of
land each year) to maintain existing service levels for all residents. With the passage of the 2022 Parks,
Trails and Natural Lands GO Bond, Glendale Regional Park will add 17 acres and Fleet Block will add ast
over three acres, reducing the 94 needed acres to approximately 66 additional acres of new parks
needed by 2040.
Utah is growing faster than projections made during the Needs Assessment, and the City will need to be
innovative and do even more than previously reported to meet increasing demand. The 2019 Needs
Assessment also found that the downtown core lacks in green space compared to the rest of the City
and identified the: Depot District, Central Business District, East Downtown, and 400 South as
population growth areas of the city that will require additional open space to meet the needs of future
residents.
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Solutions
• Public Lands Acquisition Plan: Develop a new Public Lands Strategic Acquisition Plan to direct
capital investment in new properties. Make the plan, along with a list of associated planned,
ongoing, and completed projects, available to the public by publishing it on the Public Lands’
website. (Reimagine Nature MP Action 1.1B) ($150,000)
• Strategic Capital Plan: Create a Capital Facilities Plan based on cyclical asset renewal projections
and asset condition inventory data from Cartegraph and other sources. Ensure the plan is
adaptable to accommodate new data as well as growth in parklands and assets. Use this plan
and associated data to guide funding applications for asset renewal and replacement and impact
fee funding allocation. (Reimagine Nature MP Action 1.1C) ($150,000)
• Planned Growth: Use the Public Lands Master Plan, Needs Assessment, Impact Fee Facilities
Plan, Community Master Plans, Strategic Acquisition Plan, and other city plans to guide new
development, including prioritization of funding applications. Establish clear, transparent
policies for ranking and prioritizing funding Capital Improvement and Impact Fee funding
applications, including incorporating feedback from the Public Lands citizen advisory board.
(Reimagine Nature MP Action 1.1B)
• Parks Bond: Pass a Parks Improvement Bond to fund the restoration, improvement, and
redevelopment of the Fisher Mansion, Warm Springs Plunge, Raging Waters, Fleet Block,
Fairmont Park defunct tennis courts, George Allen Home, the City Cemetery, and other iconic
spaces and structures to enrich our parks. (Reimagine Nature MP Strategy 1.1 A). (Partially
Complete with the passage of Sales Tax Bond and General Revenue Bond of 2022.)
Insufficient Planning and Project Delivery Capacity
The Salt Lake City Public Lands Department’s resources have historically been focused primarily on field
operations, with staff positions organized around landscape maintenance. One of the most notable
areas of growth in Public Lands in recent years has been in public lands planning and capital projects
management. This has allowed the Department to better create new public lands for all to enjoy. The
Department currently has three FTEs dedicated to planning and project management. This includes two
Public Lands Planners and one Planning Manager.
The Department’s planners are responsible for the development, engagement, design, and delivery of
capital projects, including new assets, asset replacement, and property acquisition. They are also
responsible for non-capital planning (master plans, strategic plans, property management plans, and
improvement plans), development of departmental policies and best practices, asset inventory and
asset management, resolution of encroachments, and other challenges related to zoning, easements,
and property rights, grant writing, community engagement, and coordination with other departments
and agencies.
While the growth of our public lands system is not matching our population growth, a renewed focus on
additions to the green space system and improvement of infrastructure has still created a significant
backlog of critical Public Lands projects. A welcome surge of funding through Capital Improvement
Projects, quickly accruing Impact Fees, the pursuit of bond funding (in 2022), and ARPA funding have
allowed the City to begin many exciting capital projects for new and improved amenities in the park
system. Revenues and grants benefiting the Public Utilities Department and the Transportation Division,
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combined with support from the Mendenhall Administration and City Council, have also led to similar
growth of ‘green’ transportation and stormwater infrastructure, which also expands the assets under
the maintenance jurisdiction of Public Lands.
This growth of the city’s public lands system places increased pressure on the planning side of Public
Lands. Public Lands planners coordinate with Engineering on over 100 open or immediately upcoming
projects in various stages of development. The minimum staff time required to advance currently
funded capital projects is approximately three times the staff time available*. In other words, there is
a capacity gap of at least five planning FTE staff. This shortfall in capacity results in significant project
implementation backlogs, which impact project timelines and costs. It also negatively impacts the
quality of public engagement in the planning and design processes and the quality of implemented
projects. Park Impact Fees continue to accrue at pace with new development in SLC, and funding of
significant new Public Lands projects is expected with the bond passage as well as annually with CIP. In
conjunction with the growing capital replacement needs for Public Lands’ expanding inventory of
property, assets, and facilities, Public Lands anticipates an increase in backlogged projects if capacity
challenges are not adjusted.
The Salt Lake City Transportation Division structure for project delivery and planning is a model that
could be used to provide context to this planning capacity challenge within Public Lands. The
Transportation Project Delivery and Strategic Planning & Programming teams have 11 FTE positions,
including the two team/section managers. This will increase to 15 FTE positions with the addition of four
new transportation planners tasked with implementing the Livable Streets Program (or 17 FTEs,
including the Data/Safety Section Manager and the existing data analyst positions).
*Backup Calculations:
Current structure of Public Lands Planning & Projects Team: (1) Planning Manager (Tom Millar) + (2)
Planners (Kat Maus, and Makaylah Respicio-Evans).
Remaining staff capacity needed:
• Concept development and fundraising for new plans and projects
• Recurring Internal (non-CIP) Planning and Policy Development
• Capital Facilities and Asset Replacement Plan & Management and Asset Condition Inventory
• Park Audits
• Park Usage Data Collection & Public Survey Data
• Annual CIP Process Management
• Community & Stakeholder Engagement
• Public Communications and Information Requests
• Internal Communications and Coordination
• External (City & Non-City) Project and Interagency Coordination
• Process Improvement, SOP/Best Practices Development
• Encroachment Resolution & Property Defense
• Strategic Acquisition Plan & acquisition negotiation, Lot Consolidations, Rezoning & ROW
Vacation
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• Climate Resilience and Adaptive Strategies Plan, Irrigation Renovation Plan, Drought
Management Plan, Invasive Pest Management Plan
• Master plans for all Regional and Special Event parks, Improvement Plans for community,
neighborhood/mini-parks, and nature parks and natural open spaces
• Contract Development, RFP Development & Review
• Partnership Development
• Meetings, Administration, Trainings
Minimum weekly hours per project are based on the anticipated extent of community engagement,
uniqueness of the project (availability of local or regional precedents), project scale, and technical
complexity.
Current Planning Workload:
The Public Lands Department Planning Team (two planners and one planning manager) are tasked with
funding applications, project engagement and development, cross-departmental coordination, and
project implementation tasks required to deliver approximately 100 active or upcoming projects.
These projects vary in funding size, complexity, and time required for planning and engagement. In
addition, greater demands on our public lands system, higher standards for public involvement, more
opportunities to collaborate with external partners, and dramatic increases in capital funding mean that
planning and project management needs far outstrip this team’s capacity.
Solutions:
• Additional Planning Team Capacity:
o Five additional full-time planners are required to better manage the existing project
backlog as well as expected and necessary future projects. This is particularly important
with the approval of the Sales Tax Bond (Aug 2022) and the passage of the GO Bond
(Nov 2022).
o Salt Lake City Council has approved two of the five planners needed through an FY23
budget amendment to immediately begin bond-related projects before the beginning of
FY23-24. The remaining three planners will be requested through the annual budget
process.
o This will bring the Public Lands Planning Team to eight total FTEs: seven planners and
one planning manager.
14
Phase
Full-
Time
FTE
(New)
Full-Time
FTE's Cost
(New)
Ongoing
Employee
Cost for
(New
FTE's)
Ongoing
Equip Fuel
Cost (New
FTE's)
Total
Ongoing
Cost (New)
Additional
One-Time
Equip
Funding
Required
Year 1 Budget
Amendment
2 $225,435 $2,000 $4,000 $231,400 $54,000
Year 1 Budget
Insight 3 $347,760 $22,000 $4,000 $373,760 $61,500
Totals 5 $573,195 $24,000 $8,000 $605,160 $115,500
• Re-Imagine Neighborhood Parks (Design and Crime): The original design decisions developed
decades ago only provided aesthetically pleasing green spaces where visitors could gather,
recreate, and relax in a natural environment. However, design risk factors that contribute to
crime, societal deviations that lead to changing uses, and user conflicts weren't considered.
Until recently, planners and landscape architects didn't consider crime prevention as part of the
design process. (With the passage of the GO Bond, $11,500,000 is now dedicated to
neighborhood parks. The park designs will focus on improving community connectivity, reflecting
neighborhood culture, increasing maintenance, and water efficiencies, and reducing criminal
activity that leads to diminished park use.)
• Capital Strategic Plan. This plan will outline a roadmap to implement the Reimagine Nature
Master Plan, developing a comprehensive guide for use of impact fees, funding requests to the
Council, and the direction of existing resources. The strategies identified in this plan will
prioritize projects based on public engagement, demographic analysis, and identify underserved
areas. (Plan Funded in 2022, anticipated start: Spring 2023)
• Park Master Plans to include activity generators and amenities that draw in the community and
activate the park are essential. Park master plans need to be updated to generate activity
throughout the park, ensuring that children’s playgrounds are near other activity generators
such as concession stands. Develop written management plans for all significant public land
properties, including Community, Regional & Special Event Parks, and Natural Areas, which
incorporate data collection and adaptive management goals. (Reimagine Nature MP Action
1.1B)
Regional Parks:
• Liberty Park (Funded and will begin in Spring 2023)
• Regional Athletic Complex
• Glendale Regional Park (Master Plan Complete 2022)
• Jordan River Corridor (Funded, will begin in 2023)
15
Community Parks:
• Jordan Park & International Peace Gardens (Application planned for FY24)
• Memory Grove (Application planned for FY24)
• Riverside Park
• Rosewood Park
• Fairmont Park (Completed 2016)
• Jordan River Par 3
• Warm Springs (Completed in 2017)
• Allen Park (Funded, will begin in 2022)
• Westpointe Park
• Donner Park
• 1700 South River Park
• Sherwood Park
• Poplar Grove Park
• Lindsay Gardens
• Miller Park
• Hidden Hollow (Completed 1998)
• Washington Square
• Herman Franks
• Popperton Park
• 900 South River Park
• Upper Washington Park
• Wasatch Hollow Park (Master Plan for Preserve Complete 2014)
With the recent completion of the Reimagine Nature Public Lands Master Plan, planning and project
implementation needs within the Public Lands system will continue to grow. The master plan
recommends developing master plans for all Regional and Special Event parks and improvement plans
for the community, neighborhood parks, mini-parks, nature parks, and natural open spaces.
As part of managing our urban park systems, choices are made for resource allocation and a further
understanding of how that allocation can vary across parks within the city. With each park being unique
in size, visitor use, amenities, and needs for resources, including maintenance, there is no single
prescriptive solution to manage all of Salt Lake City's public lands. Additional data collection and
research; and an inventory assessment of Public Land's investments and conditions are needed to
determine an appropriate method to address the backlog of maintenance costs and planning efforts.
Growth without Investment & Aging Infrastructure
Previous years of disinvestment have resulted in the decline of SLC parks. Fortunately, this has not been
the case in the past four years since the Department has seen a resurgence in investment to increase
staffing levels and needed resources. Previous decades, however, of reductions in staffing, operations
16
funding, large equipment replacement, and capital investments have impacted the Department’s ability
to maintain public spaces and have slowly worn down. The resulting decline, primarily in capital
renewal, conveys the wrong message from city administration to residents suggesting that the areas are
not cared for and “soft crimes” (vandalism, smoking, and alcohol use) tolerated. Negative park
experiences lead to reduced legitimate uses, which increase opportunities for crime and disorder within
parks. The community perceives these types of parks as unsafe, and this perception is now the reality in
some urban public spaces within Salt Lake City.
The 2022 Public Lands Master has identified 63% of Public Lands assets are in poor or fair condition
(PLMP 14).
Much of our infrastructure is at or past life expectancy, increasing the risk of failure. The aging of
irrigation systems, playgrounds, and lighting systems forces staff to spend more time fixing and "band-
aiding" old systems to keep facilities functional. These repairs cause a slowing of maintenance staff to
respond to problems of vandalism, littering, and broken infrastructure. If the aging systems are not
replaced, the backlog will become too much for the regular system to replace.
Asset Replacement
Historically the Department has not had sufficient resources to address asset replacement needs as
citywide park amenities and assets reach the end of their useful lives, resulting in a backlog of assets
that need replacement. Public Lands utilizes a software application called Cartegraph to track all Public
Lands assets within our parks and public lands. Cartegraph houses data on our assets, including their
install date, estimated condition, useful lifespan, and the location of amenities throughout the City. The
implementation of this software is relatively new, and it is important to acknowledge the current gaps in
data due to the relatively recent installation of this application. However, we are continuing to refine
and add information to the program to create a comprehensive picture of the current asset conditions
of Public Lands. Based on the data that Public Lands has to date within this application, we are actively
tracking nearly 6,000 assets and amenities. This number will continue to grow as new capital
improvement projects get completed, new amenities and assets are added to the parks, and we capture
all assets within Cartegraph.
We look at several data points housed in Cartegraph to assess asset replacement needs: type of asset,
number of assets per type in the Public Lands inventory, current cost to replace each asset or amenity,
and the estimated useful lifespan of the asset. We have used the current data of these over 6,000 assets
to determine a preliminary asset replacement schedule for the department’s inventory. Considering
these categories of data, Public Lands will require upwards of $5 million annually to begin a regular cycle
of asset replacement, not including asset repairs or maintenance. Please note that this number does not
include the backlog of replacement needs the department currently has but estimates the amount
required to establish a regular replacement schedule based on asset lifespan. Additionally, while it is
nearly impossible to predict inflation and escalation of materials, in general, we can expect this number
to increase by upwards of 5-10% annually. This number also does not include incidental replacements
caused by unexpected events but only considers asset replacement as they exceed their useful life with
no significant additional damage.
17
Solutions
Asset Conditions Assessment and Management Plan
The Department submitted and was awarded an FY23 CIP application to hire a consultant to deliver an
asset management assessment and plan for Salt Lake City’s Public Lands. This is a data-driven detailed
report that will determine asset condition, replacement, renewal, and deferred maintenance needs in
the system citywide. The evaluation will also help us understand five essential elements: physical
condition, accessibility, positive experiences for visitors, relevance to the communities served, and
adaptability to changing circumstances. The plan will give visibility of the costs and benefits associated
with improvements and propose maintenance and replacement or disposal of each asset in the system.
(Plan funded in 2022, anticipated start in 2023)
Upgrade Irrigation Systems
Irrigation systems are a growing asset category that will continue to present significant challenges to
Public Lands in the face of continual drought. Many of our Public Lands irrigation systems were designed
decades ago and provide overhead irrigation water to the City’s Parks. During drought conditions, Public
Lands are required to reduce watering, and this presents a significant threat to our existing urban forest.
Without regular water during the summer months trees within the park system are at risk of suffering
and eventual death. The establishment of root watering systems that waters tree directly while being
able to reduce overhead watering is standard practice for all new project implementation, but old
irrigation systems must eventually be modified or replaced. A future asset management plan will
provide accurate cost estimates for replacing old irrigation systems within the public lands inventory and
is anticipated to cost $2 million annually for 10 years to upgrade these systems. The following are the
irrigation systems that need to be replaced immediately alongside 2022 estimated costs:
• 1300 East Greenbelt east & west side ($498,000)
• 1200 East Islands ($565,000)
• 8th W Islands ($392,000)
• 600 East Islands ($296,733)
• 700 East Greenbelt 1300 South-2100 South (UDOT Property) ($800,000)
• North Gateway needs a new meter ($75,000)
• Memory Grove Back of Restroom Northeast ($110,000)
• Fife Wetlands (TBD)
• Jordan River Parkway ($3,805,401)
• Poplar Grove ($1,268,467)
• Herman Franks ($1,866,458)
• Miller Bird Refuge ($1,118,969)
• Ensign (TBD)
• Washington Square ($2,265,120)
Funding will be needed to establish a Park Strip, Median and Park Irrigation Water Reduction Strategy.
18
Use of Impact Fees, Funding our Future Dollars, and Capital Improvement Funds
Capital Asset Replacement - CIP
Funding streams for the replacement of capital assets and amenities currently include CIP dollars and
bond funds only. Examples include the replacement of a playground, pavilion, or tennis court surface.
Maintenance Funding – FOF & General Fund
In FY22-23, Public Lands received $2 million in Funding our Future FOF dollars. This funding is only for
maintenance, repairs, and replacement of existing amenities. Large capital projects should be routed
through the CIP process. Basic operations funding is the Department’s primary source of maintenance
resources. Examples of use include repairing a roof, broken concrete, fence repairs, and electrical line
repairs.
New Service Amenities – Impact Fee
Impact Fees are for amenities and acquisitions that add green space and recreational services to the
public lands system. Examples include adding a new restroom, park, or playfield where there previously
was no restroom, park, or playfield.
Large Equipment Replacement
Salt Lake City has made significant strides toward increasing funding for equipment replacement by
utilizing funding our future dollars. The Fleet replacement funds are not adequate to replace Public
Land’s aging capital equipment needs based on the 15-point replacement schedule. Large area mowers
can cost more than $180,000; utility vehicles $30,000; trucks, loaders, lifts, haulers, and tractors range
from $30K-$80K. Currently, the Division of Parks has 36 essential vehicles and equipment that are at or
over the ideal replacement schedule, suffering from repetitive breakdowns and incurring high
maintenance costs. We recommend a significant preliminary investment for two years to provide the
Division of Parks with adequate and fully functional heavy equipment and vehicles over a two-year
timeframe to keep our staff wholly operational and maintain the City’s Parks and Natural Lands.
Afterward, large equipment would need to follow a regular replacement schedule to keep up with
needs. This funding should be placed in the Fleet Division budget designated to meet Public Lands
equipment needs.
First Year - $1,654,524
Second Year - $1,668,052
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Benefits of Golf Courses as Green Space
Golf courses provide many benefits to City residents and visitors, including, but not limited to, the
following:
• A healthy recreational outlet for residents of all ages and enhancement to the overall quality of
life.
• Golf is a game that promotes healthy life skills, such as courtesy, judgment, honesty, integrity,
sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, and perseverance.
• A venue to attract visitors and prospective residents.
• Creates a good reflection on the image/brand of the city and community.
• Enhances local property values.
• Golf-related jobs and income to the community through purchases, wages, and taxes.
• An exceptional venue for scholastic use in practice rounds and tournaments.
• A venue for hosting public meetings, charity tournaments, and other fundraising activities
• Winter access to spaces when not in use by golfers include walking, snowshoeing, dog walking,
and cross-country skiing.
In addition to providing quality recreation amenities and economic benefits to the community, the golf
course ecosystem:
• Captures and cleanses runoff in urban areas.
• Provides wildlife habitat.
• Protects topsoil from water and wind erosion.
• Improves community aesthetics.
• Absorbs and filters rain.
• Improves air quality via trees, turf, and other plants.
• Discourages pests and reduces weed incursions and negative pollen releases.
• Makes substantial contributions to the community's economy.
The Golf Division manages 1,012 acres of open space operating six locations and 108 holes of golf, five
driving ranges, and 15 free practice areas. Salt Lake City’s golf courses need capital improvement
investments to improve and maintain these green spaces.
● As an Enterprise Fund, the Golf Division’s primary responsibility is to make revenue to support
golf operations. For decades, the City’s Golf courses have not produced revenues sufficient to
fund significant capital reinvestment into its operations beyond basic maintenance and
emergency repairs. As a result, many critical infrastructure assets are beyond useful life status
and are on life support via countless workarounds. For example, a typical golf course irrigation
system is designed to be replaced after 30 years. Listed by age below are the current ages of
each City course:
• Rose Park: 64 years old (some lateral lines and heads updated in 1982, controllers updated in
2020)
• Nibley Park: Over 60 years old for most of course - best estimate (still manually irrigated with
quick couplers)
20
• Mountain Dell: Some sections of course are 55 years old, other areas are 33 - best estimate
(new controllers updated in 2020)
• Forest Dale: Over 36 years old - best estimate (in process of upgrading controllers)
• Glendale: 25 years old (controllers updated 6 years ago)
• Bonneville: 6 years old (entire system replacement)
The Golf Division has at least three courses with irrigation systems that could potentially have
catastrophic failure without immediate investment.
• Rose Park - Projected replacement cost: $3,100,000 (2022 estimate)
• Nibley Park - Projected replacement cost: $1,750,000 (2022 estimate)
• Mountain Dell - Projected replacement cost: $7,000,000 (2022 estimate)
Given the importance of turf health, quality, and desired playing conditions of customers, irrigation
system investment is a vital need and important consideration for potential future sustainability.
Additionally, the ongoing drought and continued growth of the area will put even more pressure on
using water sensibly and efficiently.
Solution: New Irrigation System Technologies
Tremendous strides have been taken in recent years in the golf industry to improve irrigation system
efficiency using technology, including:
• Using sophisticated on-site weather stations, weather reporting services, and other resources to
determine accurate daily irrigation replacement needs, thus reducing over-irrigation.
• Improving irrigation uniformity through careful evaluation of sprinkler head design, nozzle
selection, head spacing, pipe size, and pressure selection.
• Using state-of-the-art computerized control systems, portable hand-held controllers, and
variable frequency drive pumping systems to apply water in the most efficient means to reduce
water and energy consumption.
A new system with a corresponding turf reduction plan equates to considerable savings in water and
energy resources. For example, the proposed plan for the new irrigation system at Rose Park reduces
irrigation headcount by at least 25% over the current system. Several currently irrigated areas will be re-
seeded with drought-tolerant grass species, tested to perform best in the climate and soil conditions of
the Rose Park golf course. The courses are projected to save 44% in overall water use with the new
efficient system and reduction in irrigated turf.
For the aging infrastructure of Golf assets, please see Legislative Intent for Golf Division.
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Strategic Community Partnerships
One way to significantly improve Public Lands’ stewardship capacity and reduce the maintenance
burden on the field staff is to encourage the local community to take ownership of a park through
partnerships, stewardship, and programming. Increased community and partnership involvement will
provide natural guardians and activation to reduce conflicts and involve formal controls when
appropriate.
Community Engagement
The more Public Lands can engage with the community and ensure their voices and cultures are
reflected in our parks and other properties, the more the community will value their public lands. This
will help ensure that the community is willing to serve as stewards over our properties and partner with
the department when appropriate. Through proper community engagement, we can also ensure that
partnership agreements reflect the ideas of the entire community rather than specific interest groups.
Current Efforts
• Communications & Engagement Team: Public Lands’ stewardship, partnership development,
and community engagement responsibilities currently fall under the department’s
Communications & Engagement Team. This team consists of four full-time employees and 3-8
part-time or seasonal positions. This team is also responsible for event planning,
communications, press and community relations, advisory board management, content
development, graphic design, signage development, and other responsibilities.
• Volunteer, Outreach, and Engagement Team (VOE): In 2022, the VOE team left the Trails and
Natural Lands Division and merged with the Communications and Engagement team to provide
services across all Public Lands Divisions. The VOE team facilitates the following types of events:
o Introductory Events: These experiences run from a couple of hours to a full day. They are
designed to introduce stewardship concepts to individuals new to Public Lands with the
aspiration to increase curiosity in outdoor stewardship and inspire a desire for
continued engagement.
▪ Examples include: Riverfest, Purge the Spurge, National Days of Recognition
o Community and Empowerment Events: These experiences are designed to incorporate
regular tasks or site-specific experiences to advance the volunteer’s knowledge through
progressive learning. Volunteers will move beyond an introductory experience into deep
learning, progression, and regularity with a site/task.
▪ Examples include 9-Line Dig Days, Weed Warriors (invasive weeds removal), and
Jordan River Canoe Cleanups.
o Leadership/Ambassador Opportunities: These opportunities select, train, and empower
volunteer leaders to share knowledge of conservation, stewardship, outdoor education,
and the history of our natural areas to make an immediate social impact through
offerings to the public. Examples include:
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▪ Trail Ambassadors
▪ Land Stewards
• Existing Friends of Parks Groups: There are currently at least eight established “Friends Of” parks
groups in Salt Lake City. These groups vary in structure, history, nonprofit status, and missions.
Public Lands continues to refine our process to recognize and form relationships with these
groups.
• Existing Partnerships: Public Lands currently has partnership agreements with a small handful of
local groups. Examples include Wasatch Community Gardens and the Tracy Aviary. Public Lands
is working with a consultant to explore options for how a nonprofit could be structured initially
to focus on Pioneer Park but one that could grow into an organization serving as a citywide
nonprofit partner for the entire SLC public lands system.
Current Partnership and Stewardship Limitations
• Lack of property management plans: As stated under “Goal 2. Growth Gap: Matching Growth
with Growth”, Public Lands need to create property management plans for more of our spaces.
Historically, volunteer efforts have been well-intentioned but with low impact, primarily
because volunteer work has not been part of a larger strategy for managing individual
properties. Staff partnering and supervising volunteer groups are only beneficial if the volunteer
work ultimately reduces the maintenance burden on staff, which could be done reliably under
the guidance of a property management team. Currently, very few properties have property
management plans. (Reimagine Nature MP Action 1.1B)
• Limited staff capacity: The Communications & Engagement team manages a variety of
important and time-consuming responsibilities. Because of this, the capacity to focus on
stewardship and partnership development is limited. For example, the City of Austin, TX, has a
team of at least five staff members focused solely on partnership development.
• Limited equipment and budget dedicated specifically to stewardship activities: The
Communications and Engagement team uses approximately $20,000/year towards stewardship
activities, advertising, and other team activities. These funds may also be used for printing
materials and ordering supplies for community outreach events. The team’s two vehicles are
inadequate to meet all dedicated volunteer activity needs. One of these vehicles is generally full
of event materials (tents, tables, etc.) and can’t be used practically for other purposes.
• Data Collection: Research and evaluation can provide critical data on our community to make
informed decisions and provide greater context. Comprehensive, data-driven park quality
evaluations can be powerful tools to inform City decisions on park development, design,
renovation, maintenance, and programming. This information helps us know where direct
dollars and staff capacity are needed most. More detailed information about who is and isn’t
using the park is critical to inform when and how park design is needed. Currently, Public Lands
has no system in place to accurately track park use data.
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Solutions
• Community Park Activation Grants
The best people to program our parks are our community members. This proposed solution is a
city sponsored grant program that is currently being implemented in Cincinnati parks. The
program would award $1,000 to friends’ groups, community councils, or other RCOs, made up
of everyday volunteer citizens in neighborhoods around the city, awarding up to 50 grants per
year, totaling around $50,000. Grants would support programming and events in parks that the
community dreams up, from movie nights to sharing culture through food trucks and
performances. This program would require the work of one full-time employee to implement
funds and oversee activities.
• Developing partnerships with trusted entities can activate and help maintain our properties. For
example, the City has recently (September 2022) explored the creation of a partnership
agreement with Home Depot to have them regularly donate materials and volunteer capacity to
perform park improvement projects. Thanks to Home Depot, we have had a very successful
project with the repainting and reconstruction of the pergola at Jackson Park. Projects like this
save the department thousands of dollars. Growing this partnership and establishing others
similar could provide thousands of dollars in benefits for the department every year.
• Allocating additional annual funds and supplies to the Communications and Engagement Team
would empower Public Lands to facilitate enhanced stewardship program delivery and
partnership development.
o Additional Budget for general team expenses: $25,000 annually.
o Funds for equipment purchases, including vehicles: $125,000
• Some solutions to enhance capacity for data collection include purchasing cell phone data from
data providers to track general trends using GPS, installing trail counters and similar technology
in more properties, and bringing on more staff (seasonal/part-time, if necessary) to conduct
statistically valid user counts of properties.
o Cost: $40,000 annually to maintain regular access to cell phone data, or between
$20,000 - $70,000 annually to gather data using other methods.
In previous years, Public Lands took on new projects and tasks assigned to the department without
funding. There remains a handful of continued directives that create structural imbalances due to a lack
of funding. The outcome of these additional responsibilities is an increase in lag time between mowing
and fertilizing, garbage removal, cleaning of restrooms, repairing lighting outages, and snow removal.
The projects that follow represent these responsibilities and corresponding tasks.
New Properties and Amenities
Each year SLC Public Lands acquires new property and amenities through the City’s CIP process. The
Parks Division has obtained sites from UDOT, the Transportation Division, and the Department of Public
Utilities that were underfunded, where staffing and materials/supplies are needed to steward the new
amenities. Funding requests will continue through the annual budget process to correct this imbalance.
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Public Way Beautification
Parks manages and performs citywide weed abatement on city-owned properties, such as alleyways,
public right-of-way, un-landscaped park areas, and other publicly owned parcels, on a complaint basis.
This function of the Parks Division utilizes materials and staffing resources earmarked for Parks
maintenance and strains the Division’s ability to maintain other sites. The Parks Division does not have a
budget in Parks to perform this service.
Background: In 2017, CAN and Public Services established an agreement to utilize the CAN Weeds
Abatement Fund 73-03035, generated by Civil Enforcement fines. This agreement intended to be a
short-term use of these funds until Parks received approved funds for their budget. In early 2020, CAN
informed Public Lands that funding from this account would no longer be available for weed abatement.
Parks continue to respond to citizen weed-abatement complaints utilizing staffing from park
groundkeepers.
FY23 Budget Initiative: $290,000 in onetime funding, and $326,695 ongoing to resolve this issue
1,000 Tree Initiative – (Resolved in FY23 Budget)
Over the last two fiscal years, Mayor Mendenhall has made expanding Salt Lake City’s urban tree canopy
a priority of her administration. She is committed to ensuring that the City’s west side (where fewer
trees and less shade currently exists) will be a primary focus of this robust tree planting effort. The UF
Division does not have funding for the purchase of additional trees nor the staffing capacity to plan for
site location and public outreach and engagement for this tree planting effort. While these efforts are
important and worthy, they shift resources away from ongoing pruning, tree removals, and resident
requests for service.
To accommodate this additional tree planting, the Urban Forestry Division has drawn on alternative
funding sources, volunteers, increased efficiency, and years of future planning efforts to accomplish our
new tree planting goals. However, the tree mitigation funds - drawn from to purchase 1,000 more trees
each year - are depleted. If the City is to continue planting twice as many trees, more funding is
necessary.
Additional staffing and budget resources are necessary to sustain an expanded annual tree planting
effort from 1,100 trees per year to 2,500+ trees per year. In our FY23 budget request, Public Lands
requested a 2-year investment of $150,000 to plant 1,000 trees annually.
Urban Forest management is unique among the responsibilities of the Public Lands Department in that
most public trees exist, not in parks and trailways but rather in residential neighborhoods. The trees of
our urban forest form a vastly living infrastructure, providing an array of benefits that touch every Salt
Lake City resident and visitor, not just those lucky enough to use our parks and trails. Salt Lake City’s
historic urban forest is without equal in the intermountain west; it is integral to the City’s identity,
health, and quality of life. Quality maintenance and preservation of our Urban Forest will be vital as Salt
Lake City faces the challenges of sustainable growth in a changing climate.
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Tree Protection
Though tree planting often gets the most publicity, tree maintenance and protection will always be the
benchmarks of responsible and effective urban forest management. Trees that provide the most
benefits are the larger established trees, and large urban trees result from effectual commitments to
tree care and preservation.
As Salt Lake City grows and develops, it is vital to prioritize the protection of mature trees during
construction. While the City does require developers to account for tree protection measures on
construction plans, the Urban Forestry Division has insufficient capacity to conduct timely inspections
verifying tree protection requirements are implemented and sustained. Furthermore, when tree
protection violations occur, the Urban Forestry Division’s recourse for mitigation is limited and
ineffective.
Solution: Tree Preservation Coordinator (Resolved in FY23 Budget)
This position would bolster the Urban Forestry Division’s capacity to conduct plan review, permitting,
site inspections, and code enforcement associated with tree protection associated with construction
and development.
Tree Maintenance
In the last few years, City Council funded the additional permanent tree pruning crews, which provided
Urban Forestry with the resources to prune approximately 5,000 trees each year. While this increase in
capacity was sorely needed to protect public safety, the UF Division’s tree pruning capacity still falls
significantly short of a responsible 10-year pruning cycle (which would prune 9,000) trees annually). In
addition, a series of damaging storm events over the last five years has consistently hamstrung the
Urban Forestry Division’s tree maintenance productivity.
Currently, the Division is planting twice as many trees as we did three years ago, receiving more than
5,000 customer requests for service annually, and completing more than 8,000 individual work orders
each year. It's an expanded level of service that is not sustainable at current staffing and resource levels.
Since 2020, UF Division has seen work backlogs grow to be months long, forcing the operations team to
prioritize servicing neighborhood street trees over the trees on city parks and other public lands.
Solution: Additional Arborist Crews
Two additional FTE arborists, and the associated crew equipment, would be sufficient to deliver timely
and appropriate maintenance for the City’s park and neighborhood street trees.
Ongoing $202,800, one-time funding $457,500, and a temporary 3-year investment/$100,000 year.
The 3-year investment is a temporary injection of increased funding to work down backlogs of
deferred tree maintenance on public lands properties and mature (large) street trees that have
delayed maintenance as a result of resources being directed toward public service requests and
storm damage response. The temporary funding would fund contracted tree work targeted at
pruning to reduce the likelihood of future storm damage and improve the overall health of
public property trees.
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Caring for “The Whole Forest”
Golf Course tree maintenance does not currently fall under the responsibility of the Urban Forestry
Division. However, city golf course properties present an outstanding opportunity to maximize the
benefits of trees. A commitment to fund golf course tree maintenance will vastly increase the health of
trees in these valuable greenspaces. With the addition of two FTE Arborists (and associated equipment),
combined with the existing capability of the Urban Forestry Division, this would provide a basic level of
tree maintenance for the city’s golf course properties.
Storm Damage Response & Recovery
Damaging wind and snowstorms have become commonplace over the last decade. Currently, the Urban
Forestry Division has no option but to delay other scheduled work to mobilize for storm response clean
efforts, which has resulted in insurmountable work backlogs. Setting aside funding (specifically for storm
response tree work) would allow the UF Division to bring in contracted crews for emergency storm work
so that existing scheduled work would not be affected.
Public Lands requests $160,000 for emergency funding that will sit in a special revenue fund that would
be used solely for storm damage response. The Finance Department is also looking into an emergency
fund for the General Fund that may include this amount for Urban Forestry.
Urban Wood Reutilization
Trees are large living organisms, and their cultivation (for our benefit) results in specific byproducts.
With more than 87,000 maintained trees, Salt Lake City’s Urban Forestry operations (tree pruning and
removal) generate more than 2.8 million pounds of wood waste annually. As much as 90% of this waste
wood could be sorted, processed, and reused to produce a wide variety of wood products. However, an
overwhelming majority of this waste wood currently gets buried in landfill.
The Urban Forestry Division has worked hard to make urban waste wood available for artists and other
woodworkers. As a result, there have been some feel-good stories of urban wood repurposed
effectively. But this is only a minute amount of the waste wood generated annually. The UF Division also
continues to seek out private companies that will take our wood waste, but the sheer volume of lumber
that comes out of the City’s urban forest is beyond that of local wood processors. Dishearteningly, the
city purchases large amounts of wood products each year that could be repurposed from urban waste
wood.
Solution: Develop Urban Forestry Operations Yard
To divert usable wood waste from the landfill, identify and procure a location to off-load, sort, and store
wood debris. Given the volume of wood waste that comes out of the city’s urban forest annually, the UF
Operations Yard is looking to utilize 7-10 acres of land at River View, 1815 North Catherine Street. This
parcel is undeveloped and flanked by the Jordan River to the West and Rose Park Golf Course to the
South.
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Construct UF Division equipment and materials storage facilities on a suitable site. These facilities (a
large storage barn and equipment awning) would provide much-needed storage for expensive
equipment used in urban forestry maintenance and wood reutilization operations.
One-time: Facility, Awning, Yard Construction - $2,000,000 (This portion of the project was funded
through the Sales Tax Bond and will begin design and construction in the upcoming year.)
Purchase wood processing equipment. A horizontal grinder, portable sawmill, and biochar retort would
be the primary equipment to transform urban waste wood into products that the city can use.
Additional sorting equipment, Excavator and Frontend Loader, is needed for the transporting and
loading of unprocessed waste wood and processed wood products.
One-time: Wood Processing Machinery - $1,700,000 (Cannot be paid for with bond funds)
The ‘On-Going’ costs for this initiative will cover the operational and maintenance costs of the new
facility/equipment and will allow the Urban Forestry Division to hire one (1) additional FTE. This
additional employee will provide the added staff capacity to coordinate wood processing and manage
product sorting, distribution, and other forestry operations duties.
One-Time Equipment:
• Vehicle – Super Duty Truck, $75,000
• IMS Computer, $2,500
On-Going:
• (1) FTE- Crew/Yard Arborist III (Grade 21) fully loaded, $100,000
• Operational Supplies, $2,500
• Equipment Operation and Maintenance, $60,000
• Fleet Fuel & Maintenance, $9,000
New research finds that well-designed and maintained urban parks can reduce gun violence, improve
safety, and keep residents healthier. While poorly designed and maintained public spaces lead to more
crime. Specific strategies are now employed to help the city guide our urban park design to make our
parks safer and more pleasant. Below are the strategies we seek to implement to improve park safety
through updated design work, maintenance, and services.
Current Strategies
Involve the Community in the Design Process
When building a new park such as Glendale Water Park or re-imagining existing parks, community
involvement will bring more user-friendly, culturally significant amenities and a feeling of greater
ownership. Community stakeholders, individuals and the Public Lands advisory board all contribute to
the design process of existing and new public lands amenities. Public Lands has added one park planner
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and a community outreach coordinator to assist with this effort and has additional needs for five more
park planners. We are happy to report that the PNUT board’s last four appointed represent the BIPOC
community.
Visibility
Public Lands have cleared many areas in parks that have created hiding spots for crime and antisocial
behavior. We have installed additional lighting at Jefferson, Madsen and Tauffer Parks with in-house
labor and equipment funding. More extensive projects are still necessary and can be accomplished
through park and amenity re-design in our existing parks with additional capital funding.
Activity and Life
New amenities and well-groomed public spaces tell potential threats that this area is meaningful to
people and will push off people who are not using the space legally. Amenities that draw in the
community and activate the park are essential. As previously stated, the park master plans need to be
updated to generate activity throughout the park system, ensuring that children’s playgrounds are near
other activity generators such as concession stands. An active edge encourages use and creates a park
surveillance perimeter. Flexible seating can give people choices in group size and direction of focus. New
plans and designs encourage diversity of users and a broad range of activities (e.g., space for street
vendors, entertainers, picnics, farmers markets, etc.) Current master planning projects initiated include
the: Jordan River Master Plan, Liberty Park Master Plan, and Allen Park Adaptive Re-use and
Management Plan. Future Master Planning projects to be submitted include Jordan Park Master Plan
and Memory Grove Master Plan.
Public Lands is not organized as a recreation implementation organization. The Public Lands team has
one city-wide recreation events planner. Public Lands works with outside partners to encourage active
programming that brings people to their parks for art, events programs, recreation, and community by
permitting events and assisting public event coordinators where possible. We encourage diverse and
adapted programming to represent the community culture, and we encourage the creation of social
connections.
Re-Imagine Neighborhood Parks outlined in the GO Bond could improve several neighborhood park
amenities immensely. Public Lands continues to seek partnerships and capital funding to activate our
parks. The FY23 CIP requests that can assist in activating SLC Parks include:
• Tennis & Pickleball Court resurfacing
• Playground replacements
• Jordan Park and Peace Gardens Master Plan
• Cottonwood Park Trailhead and Parking area
• Jordan River Roots Disc Golf & Driving Range; Planning, Design & Acquisition
• Library Plaza Repair and Planning/Design for event activation
• 11th Avenue Park Pavilion
• 337 Park Development
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Park Rangers (Completed – Park Rangers began working in Parks, August 24, 2022.)
Park Rangers can help residents and visitors discover and explore the natural world through
environmental education, outdoor recreation, wildlife management, and active conservation. They
provide a presence that tells visitors that this park is safe and welcoming. A formal park surveillance can
deter criminal activities and vandalism. The SLC Public Lands Ranger program is scheduled to start in the
summer of 2022.
Good Maintenance
Good maintenance is crucial to facilitate public perception that areas are low risk. Vandalism, litter,
graffiti, and broken amenities suggest a place is uncared for and possibly unsafe. The Parks, Urban
Forestry, Natural Lands and Trails, and Golf Divisions work diligently to provide the best maintenance
possible given the external difficulties outlined in this document.
Parks Animal Services
Salt Lake City manages the most dog parks in Salt Lake County, and animals-at-large (dogs off-leash) is
Public Lands’ most frequent complaint from residents using our parks. Many visitors are not comfortable
around dogs off-leash or are inconvenienced by dog owners neglecting to retrieve dog waste on paths,
sports fields, and in grassy open spaces. Two additional animal control field officers would provide
greater compliance for owners of dogs to follow leash laws in SLC Parks.
The cost for two additional Animal Services Officers contracted through Salt Lake County is $275,000
annually, with one-time costs of $150,000 for two animal-specialized, air-conditioned trucks.
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One-Time On-Going New FTEs Notes/Other
Goal 1. Evolving our Workforce
Afternoon Parks Crew $120,000 $598,000 7
Invest in full-time employees $696,000 $1,367,925 21 7 new FTE for each year (total of 3 years)
Park Inspector $72,500 $116,000 1
Trails and Natural Lands Operations $585,000 $1,116,195 12
Goal 2. Grown Gap: Matching Growth with Growth
Public Lands Acquisition Plan & Strategic Capital Plan $300,000 N/A
Additional Planning Team $115,500 $605,160 5 Budget Amendment 2 new FTE
Budget Insight FY24 3 new FTE
Goal 3. Address the City’s Aging Infrastructure
Begin regular cycle of asset replacement $5,000,000* May increase 5-10% annually
Irrigation System Replacement (14 properties) $13,061,148** $2,000,000***
Large Equipment Replacement $3,322,576
Golf Division Irrigation System Replacement at Three Courses $11,850,000
Goal 4. Improve Stewardship through Partnerships Development
Community Park Activation Grants $55,000 $125,000 1 1 vehicle, equipment & office supplies
Increase budget for general communications, engagement, and
volunteerism activities
$25,000
One-time equipment purchases for enhanced outreach capacity (vehicle,
trailers, etc.)
$125,000
Enhanced Park Usage Data Gathering $70,000
Goal 5. Resolve Structural Imbalances
Weed Abatement $290,000 $326,695
Goal 6. Urban Forest Resilience
Additional Arborist Crews $457,500 $202,800 2 Temporary $100,000 for three years
Golf Course Arborists $457,500 $202,800 2 $100,000 for three years
Storm Damage & Recovery $160,000 Revolving Account
Urban Wood Reutilization $3,777,500 $171,500 1
Goal 7. Reduce or Eliminate Crime and Antisocial Behavior
Two Animal Service Officers (SLCO) $150,000 $275,000 2
TOTALS: $35,435,224 $10,202,075 54 $2,360,000+
*We are funded for an asset replacement plan that will determine this number
**Estimates for only high-priority projects
***Estimated annually 10 years for aged systems that need replacement