Your Daily Guide

Fire Season in Salt Lake City

Over the weekend, a 400-acre fire raged in the foothills behind the University of Utah hospital. No evacuations were ordered, but nearby hiking trails remain closed and students were temporarily asked to shelter in place due to smoke. Be mindful of air quality this week, as large fires in Nevada and Arizona were already sending smoke into our valley. [Salt Lake Tribune]

• Multiple Saturday fires: Over 300 acres started burning east of Ogden near the Pineview Reservoir, and 2,500 acres near Tooele. Keep an eye on the state’s Utah Fire Info website for ongoing restrictions and danger ratings. [Utah Fire Info]

DHS to Sell Proposed ICE Detention Center

The Department of Homeland Security plans to offload seven warehouses it purchased this year with the intent to convert them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities, including one on Salt Lake City’s westside. The property may be sold or transferred to another government agency. [New York Times]

The Other Side Academy Faces Scrutiny

Two different outlets published investigative pieces about the business side and addiction reform practices of The Other Side Academy, an organization that has received free land from Salt Lake City and over $17 million in taxpayer money since its inception. [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]

The Utah Legislature is in its interim session, which means they’re already working on ideas for next year. And this month, The Policy Project, the lobbying group behind free period products in public schools, hosted a policy pitch competition to source ideas for making our state better and more affordable.

Of 115 submissions, I was delighted to see that all three winners shared ideas we’ve talked about on episodes of our City Cast Salt Lake podcast! Proof we keep you in the loop.

🥇“The Utah Rehabilitation, Compliance, and Fair Collections Act”

Utah State University grad student Melaine Webster presented an idea to reform Utah’s criminal debt collection system. People leaving our justice system often see fines and fees piling up faster than they can keep up with, making genuine reform hard as the debt becomes a barrier to housing and employment.

• Hear us discuss: 4 ideas to fund instead of more jail beds. [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]

🥈“Tax Increment Financing Reform”

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is when funds are drawn away from a taxing entity (such as the library or school district) to fund development projects. For example, the SLC School District lost $40 million last year to TIF. SLC School Board member Ashley Anderson’s proposal would give the district more representation in these decisions.

• Hear us discuss: The millions SLC schools lost to developers. [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]

🥉“The Utah Family Financial Protection Act”

I’ll never forget where I was when I learned that women (especially single mothers) are more likely to take out payday loans. Sophia Strong’s proposal would cap payday loan interest rates at 36% in Utah. Right now, they can be over 600%.

• Hear us discuss: Why two local banks ended up on a watchlist. [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]

What’s your dream policy pitch to the Utah Legislature? Maybe we can look into it.