www.sslc.com
CITY NEWSLETTER
June 2020 Cherie Wood, Mayor 801-464-6757 mayor@sslc.com
South Salt Lake City Council Members LeAnne Huff, District 1 801-440-8510 lhuff@sslc.com Corey Thomas, District 2 801-755-8015 cthomas@sslc.com Sharla Bynum, District 3 801-803-4127 sbeverly@sslc.com Portia Mila, District 4 801-792-0912 pmila@sslc.com L. Shane Siwik, District 5 801-548-7953 ssiwik@sslc.com Natalie Pinkney, At-Large 385-775-4980 npinkney@sslc.com Ray deWolfe, At-Large 801-347-6939 rdewolfe@sslc.com
City Offices
Mon-Fri 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. 801-483-6000 220 East Morris Ave SSL, UT 84115 Animal Service 801-483-6024 Building Permits 801-483-6005 Business Licensing 801-483-6063 Code Enforcement 801-464-6712 Fire Administration 801-483-6043 Justice Court 801-483-6072 Police Admin 801-412-3606 Promise 801-483-6057 Public Works 801-483-6045 Recreation 801-412-3217 Utility Billing 801-483-6074 Emergencies 911 Police/Fire Dispatch 801-840-4000
Navigating our New Normal Together Welcome to summer! We have all been waiting for this moment, especially during quarantine, but we all know this summer will be a bit different. I am more than ready to see friends, family, and neighbors and would love to celebrate the season, but have been Mayor Cherie Wood proceeding with caution. My frame of mind continues to be, “How do I protect others and keep myself safe?” While it doesn’t feel exactly like a “care-free” summer, I am still enjoying the best parts of our community while playing it safe. My priority is to make sure we can have more freedom and security in the coming months. I’m enjoying our parks and trails, but still working remotely when I can, wearing a mask when I shop, and spending time just with those closest to me. It is a small price to pay for a healthy, happy summer. The city has by necessity changed the way we do business, and we are slowly making our way back to a new normal. I appreciate your patience as we work through this together. We are closely following the shifts in the color-coded health guidelines of the state’s Utah Leads Together 2.0 plan. When the dial moves to green —the “new normal risk” phase, we will continue to do a lot of things differently. We aren’t going back to normal. Each of us will still need to practice strict hygiene, stay home if ill, and protect those we know who are high risk. We will slowly reopen city facilities, restart recreation programs, and eventually, schedule city events again. We will continue to provide essential services, of course, but can bring back some of the items that were paused.
Our FY21 Budget looks different, too. The extreme changes in our economy have led to major revenue drops that we predict will linger. This has been the hardest budget to put together in my entire career. My focus for the proposed budget is to retain existing services and every employee. It is a big lift, but there really are no city-funded services or positions that are “extra”. We have operated this lean since the Great Recession. The proposed General Fund budget is $630,000 less than the current 2020 budget and still requires an appropriation of $4.3 million from rainy day savings. Every city department will see a decrease and only critical building repairs and vehicle maintenance are included. Budget planning has always required collaboration and cooperation between staff and Council – and the need has never been greater. The budget draft can be viewed at sslc. com. The public hearing will be held on June 3 at 7:30 p.m. You can also reach out to your City Council representative to share your comments. Our busy little city has picked up the pace over these past few weeks. Business doors are open again, but not without financial strain and new restrictions. We are known as the City of Industry and your hard work has earned us this reputation. As our economy rebounds, now is the time to shop local and patronize our small and large businesses. Their rebound depends on us! As we navigate the new normal together, my primary focus is on the health and safety of all who live, work, and play in South Salt Lake. Patience and kindness are warranted in the weeks and months to come.
SSLC.com has a New Look
It has never been more important for South Salt Lake to ensure clear channels of communication to our residents and businesses. We regularly communicate through: • This On the Move newsletter • Bi-weekly City Council meetings • Social Media Channels • Our municipal website, SSLC.com
In an effort to have timely news and announcements that impact those who live, work and play in SSL, our website is undergoing an overhaul. We are making a concerted effort to improve our online presence and make changes that serve you.
Here’s what we’ve been working on: • New Home page, where residents can see upcoming events and recent news, or easily navigate to their destination • Updating all existing pages, standardizing content and info • COVID-19 page, with regularly-updates on resources and news • Clear bulletins on pages, letting residents know which services are continuing and which have been postponed or modified We are looking for your feedback on all of this! If you have any suggestions, send an email to connect@sslc.com or message us on any of our social media channels. We look forward to hearing from you!