Engagement Report April 12, 2018 Table of Contents Introduction..............................................2 Our Approach............................................3 Overview of Outreach................................7 Business Feedback Metrics........................20 Media Coverage........................................26 Qualtrics Survey Results............................29 All Comments............................................44 1 Introduction Mayor Biskupski and the Salt Lake City Council sought feedback to better understand public perceptions of City service needs and potential funding mechanisms ahead of a Council vote on April 17, 2018. The City engaged in an extensive public outreach and engagement effort to collect feedback from residents, businesses and others with a stake in the future of Salt Lake City. The following report summarizes those outreach efforts and results. Vision The City’s goal is to remain a place where all people can live, work, and play in comfort and safety. By creating more affordable housing options and connecting residents and businesses to better transit and complete streets, Salt Lake City can improve air quality and create a more resilient City for generations to come. The Need Salt Lake City’s population is growing and is expected to keep growing. The economy is strong, and the amount of people who commute into the City each day to work, learn, be entertained and seek out services, like medical care, is increasing. Salt Lake City is also the hub for northern Utah’s tourism and convention services, which increase the strain on infrastructure and services. The City’s bright future could be dimmed without investing in critical public services and as such must identify appropriate funding mechanism to address current and future growth. The Opportunity Through years of thoughtful study, planning and public involvement, City Administration and Council staff have identified unfunded one-time and ongoing needs in the areas of street maintenance, affordable housing, transit and public safety. Salt Lake City’s success provides a one-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in building a better City for everyone. While the City is considering all available finance options, City officials have identified two that combined stand as viable and reasonable solutions – increasing the City’s portion of sales tax and asking voters to consider approving a General Obligation bond to fund a package of infrastructure improvements. 2 Our Approach Communication Methods: § Project website § Direct mail § Social media § Email newsletters § Traditional news media § In-person opinion leader meetings § Community Council meetings § Small business contacting § Public meetings and workshops Materials: Engagement Fact Sheet Engagement Fact Sheet - Spanish Version 3 Needs Fact Sheet Email Revenue Fact Sheet 4 Postcard #1 Postcard #2 5 Website 6 Overview of Outreach Website Visits: § Unique Pageviews as of April 12, 2018 – 2,748 § Total Pageviews as of April 12, 2018 – 3,472 Survey Hits: § 1,885 surveys completed as of April 12, 2018 § 347 direct responses from Qualtrics Community Feedback group § 1,538 responses from FundingOurFutureSLC.com website link Telephone Comments: § 21 calls as of April 10, 2018 o Support: 4 § Biking and cycling needs to be a bigger part of city planning/development o Against: 13 § Salt Lake City needs to budget better/use existing tax revenue (i.e. from growth, current sales tax revenue) § Don’t want to see the money going to UTA § The City should stop spending money on festivals (i.e. Pride, Arts Festival, etc.) and redirect that funding elsewhere o Neutral: 5 Email/Online Comments § 51 emails as of April 10, 2018 o Support: 17 § Want to see low income housing funded by additional revenue § Desire to see real plans for how additional revenue will be spend § Proposed spending should include parks and open space o Against: 24 7 § City needs to be fiscally responsible using their existing budget /cut back unnecessary spending § Concerned about how the increase will impact continued economic growth in SLC (deter companies from relocating to City, make the area less attractive to home buyers) § Detrimental to small businesses that are already struggling to pay rent, park and compete with online sellers § More growth and new residents is already bringing in additional tax revenue § The City should use user fees instead § Would penalize people for spending local § Spending should not go to rebranding UTA o Neutral : 10 Qualtrics/Survey Comments: § 1,826 as of April 11, 2018 Email Blast § 21,700 contacts o SLC Civic Engagement database 10,800 o Council email newsletters 4,000 o Qaultrics list 2,600 o Open City Hall 4,300 Postcards to Residents & Businesses § Mailed to 92,928 residents and businesses o Postcard #1 March 28-30, 2018 o Postcard #2 April 4-6, 2018 Community Council Meetings: § Liberty Well Community Council- March 14, 2018 § Downtown Community Council - March 21, 2018 § Capitol Hill Community Council - March 21, 2018 § East Bench Community Council - March 21, 2018 8 § Glendale Community Council - March 21, 2018 § Fairpark Community Council - March 22, 2018 § East Liberty Community Council - March 22, 2018 § Wasatch Hollow Community Council - March 28, 2018 § Poplar Grove Community Council - March 28, 2018 § Bonneville Hills & Foothill/Sunnyside Community Councils - March 28, 2018 § Central City Community Council - April 4, 2018 § Rose Park Community Council - April 4, 2018 § Yalecrest Community Council - April 4, 2018 § Greater Avenues Community Council - April 4, 2018 § Sugar House Community Council - April 4, 2018 § Ball Park Community Council - April 5, 2018 § Jordan Meadows & Westpointe Community Councils – April 11, 2018 § East Central Community Council – April 12, 2018 Community Council Comments: § Has the City looked at other taxes to increase? § Resident suggested that the City be frugal with existing resources and find ways to share materials § Resident suggested that the city sell its extra property and use that revenue § Concerns about being evicted/unable to pay rent with an increase in property taxes § Why doesn’t the city trim the budget instead of raise taxes § Perception that the west side doesn’t see benefits from taxes § Include parks in plan for spending new funding § Salt Lake City needs a housing bond § City administration needs to better explain how affordable housing funding works § Street proposal won’t get Salt Lake City where it needs to be § Concentrate on housing for the lowest incomes first § Will sales tax revenue help the mental health community? § Concerns about the method used to identify critical needs to receive additional funding § What effect will a tax increase have on businesses? § Street reconstruction should be to complete street standards § Why hasn’t the City properly paid for infrastructure earlier? § Consider creating a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan § Implement a commuter tax on Foothill Dr. § HAND should require developments to have affordable units 9 § Buses need to run past 8 p.m. § Why have road repairs been deferred this long? § General fund increases are out of control and the personal costs are being increased too much by each administration § How expensive will the bond debt be? Has the city secured lenders yet? § Little increases to taxes, property values, etc. add up and add to the burden on residents § Will bond money go to the Northwest Quadrant? § Can the City earmark the money from the sales tax increase for specific services? § Will residents have an opportunity to weigh in on how additional revenue is spent? § Positive reaction to improving transit service § Residents want accountability – they want to see where the money is being used § Have a greater police presence in individual neighborhoods and downtown (especially in the evening) § Coordinate service/infrastructure improvements to maximize spending (i.e. installing a new sewer line and street at the same time) Opinion Leader Meetings/Presentations: § 11 meetings § Ellen Reddick, Impact Factory Utah – March21, 2018 § Jeff Worthington, Utah AFL-CIO – March 29, 2018 § Glenn Bailey, Crossroads Urban Center – March 29, 2018 § George Chapman, Salt Lake City Resident – March 29, 2018 § Kristen Lavelett, Local First – March 29, 2018 § Dan Nackerman, Housing Authority of Salt Lake City – March 29, 2018 § Rich Thorne, Associated Contractors of Utah – March 29, 2018 § Maria Garciaz, NeighborWorks – April 2, 2018 § Dan Lofgren, Cowboy Partners – April 3, 2018 § Ted Knowleton, University of Utah Metro Research Center – April 5, 2018 § Jean Hill, Catholic Church – April 10, 2018 Opinion Leader Comments: § Homeowners are struggling, they already overpay for their homes and can’t pay for needed renovations and repairs § The City should focus on transit and not bicycles 10 § Housing needs to be a part of the sales tax, not a separate vote in November § Grocery exemption makes sales tax palatable § $10 million should go to housing § Improving infrastructure around affordable housing sites helps with success (i.e. proximity to transit, access to services for at-risk populations, etc.) § Wants to see proactive, not reactive, public safety response § A sales tax is the only way to address street needs; streets are backbone of the economy § City permitting process is lengthy and costs time and money – chasing businesses away § Housing solutions need to be diverse, mixed income § The City needs to build trust in the community; lack of confidence that they will do what is promised