City Council - Regular Meeting

Bye. So, Thank you. Have you here? Whatever...

whether you are joining us in person or online. We hope you continue to participate in whichever manner you feel the most comfortable. Now we're gonna go to item A2, which is the Pledge of Allegiance. Join me. Okay, thank you. Before we move through the agenda, I want to quickly go through the registration information and share the reasoning about how and why we chair these meetings the way we do. We welcome everyone, regardless of your opinion or your side of an issue. Because we will have people with varying opinions on important issues, the council's goal is to make the meetings a place where people feel safe and comfortable participating. This is the most local level of government, and it is a key value of ours to ensure that we have created a respectful and safe environment so no one is intimidated out of free participation. This also allows us to ensure that the meetings can continue and that we can conduct a scheduled city business. We invite each of you to contribute to this space, to speak your mind, and to welcome others to do the same. In order to create this welcoming and safe space, we'll pause the meeting at any action that causes a disruption to our ability to conduct the meeting, or any safety concern involving threats or unprotected speech. If there are repeated actions or comments, it may result in removal from the meeting. To avoid intimidating others, please avoid the use of threatening and discriminatory language. Do not insult others based on religion, ethnicity, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, or physical ability. Whether you agree or disagree with someone's comment, clapping, cheering, shouting, booing, snapping, gesturing, obstructing, or discouraging others from commenting is not allowed. As a reminder, as council members, we refrain from reacting or responding to allow everyone to share their opinions freely. This is to keep our reactions from affecting your ability to share your opinion freely. If you would like to follow up with any of us, please see our council staff, or if you are online, you can chat and ask for contact information. When making your comments, please address the body and not any individual elected official. If you have a handout for the council, you can raise your hand and council staff can assist you and make that handout available to us. Council staff are available during and after the meeting to help with any questions or information sharing. The full meeting rules are listed at the door and our staff will post them and the link on Zoom. As a reminder, our public comment registration process, individuals may register to comment on scheduled city business on a scheduled public hearing item, sorry, until the hearing is closed. For the general comment sections, we'll accept sign-ups until 7.30 p.m. The general comment section is limited to a maximum of one hour. I would only include commenters who register before 7.30 p.m. So if you are here to give general comments, please sign up and remember that it's possible not everyone who sign up may be able to speak. Now we're gonna move to item A4, which is approving the meeting minutes for the Truth and Taxation meeting on August 11, 2026. I need a motion. Second. I have a motion by Councilmember Wharton and a second by Councilmember Pietro. Any questions or comments? All of those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? Any abstentions? This motion carries unanimously with one council member absent. There is no scheduled public hearings today, and we're gonna move to items on the C agenda, potential action items, and item C1 has been moved to a future agenda, so we have pulled that item. So item C2 is the ordinance for a six-year capital asset plan, and I need a motion.

Mr. Chair? I move that the council adopt an ordinance adopting a capital asset plan for Salt Lake City General Fund. Second.

So I have a motion by Councilmember Young and a second by Councilmember Carlson. I'm gonna call the question. All of those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? This motion carries unanimously with one council member absent. Item C3 is a resolution for the capital improvement program and I need a motion.

Mr. Chair, I move that the council approve a resolution adopting the capital improvement program project specific allocations for fiscal year 2027 as shown on the attached exhibit A funding log.

Motion by Councilmember Young and seconded by Councilmember Pietro. Is there any discussion? I'm gonna call the question. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Abstentions? Okay, this motion carries unanimously with one councilmember absent. There is no new or unfinished business items. There is consent agenda, so I need a motion.

Move for approval.

Councilmember Wharton and Petro for the second. To approve the consent agenda, any discussion? I'm gonna call the question. All of those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any oppose or abstentions? This motion carries unanimously. Now that brings us to section G. Are there any questions for the mayor? Any questions for the mayor? Thank you, Rachel, for being on behalf of the mayor. Thank you. So now we're going to move into the general comment portion of our agenda. This section is for the public to comment on any city business not scheduled for a public hearing and is limited to a maximum of one hour for those individuals who register before 7.30. our meeting rules apply to the general comments just avoid disruptions or threats and Reminder just as a reminder the You're gonna have two minute to speak and when the two-minute staff will say time and your microphone will be muted. If you haven't finished your comment on those two minutes, you can reach out to us and make sure that we can receive the rest of your comments. If you're having technical issues and you're online, you can message staff support and Akshay from our staff can assist you. So, again, if you haven't finished your comment, you can find our contact information at slc.gov slash council. Taylor, can you begin with our first general comment?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have about six people registered. The first will be Alex Wonder, followed by Keiko Jones, and then Nadja Mataya. Alex, you may now unmute.

Hi, can you guys hear me okay?

Yes, we can hear you.

Awesome. So my name is Alex Wonder. I'm the founder of Rose Park Bee Club. I'm a second year awardee. All of my work is supported through the Community Food Micro Grant. We primarily serve the west side, but our members are all throughout the valley. I work with the Village Co-op, the Krishna Temple, Hivekind, UPC, Food Not Bombs, SLC Mutual Aid, The public library, and my program was featured on the mayor's Instagram last year. Last year, we also distributed 7.5 gallons of honey for free to the community, 250 peppers and tomatoes. About 100 people attended our annual honey giveaway, and we hosted 22 free beekeeping classes while increasing access to high quality local food. I have 3 concerns for the city council today. 1, I, I'm concerned about protecting agricultural sites on the West side. And the fact that we only have 2 protected sites, I'm not sure who manages them, but I know 1 is Wheeler farm. New industry on the West side is a loss of agricultural lands and reduced food choices and independence for the West side. And specifically cutting the funding to the community food micro grant impacts my program and not just me, but there's so many really cool projects impacted by the loss of this micro grant for next year. And I personally cannot operate without it. For some context, bees pollinate one in three bites of food, and they need about two to five acres of continuously flowering plants for optimal health and surplus honey. And the West Side deserves beautiful spaces and reduced pollution exposure and food access that industry projects might bring to us. And this would also support local pollinators as well. I ask the council make an effort to please protect our agricultural spaces and food production on the west side, increase and ensure the longevity.

And that Jones followed by Nadja Mattia and then Kurt goes here in person.

Hi council members, my name is Keiko Jones. I live on the west side and I love my community. And so I go to senior centers maybe twice, three times a week. And today was one of the special days at Rivers Bend because advisory committee provided a free pancake breakfast. And you should have seen people's faces. It's not fancy, but I saw a lot of happy faces. and it was made possible by Poplar Grove Community Council. Earlier I reached out to some community councils on the west side to either co-sponsor or adopt. a couple of events at the senior center. And so far, Poplar Grove and Fair Park Community Councils granted my requests. So that was one of the events today. We may not have enough, but we do not lack generosity. People brought, you know, juice, peaches to share with people. So I emailed all of you a couple of weeks ago and I got two responses and I thought the email was largely ignored but then one of the liaisons emailed me on behalf of all of you and I really appreciate your attention regardless of the outcome. I really want to say thank you for your attention and consideration. Thank you.

Next will be Nadja Mataya followed by Kurt Mittelstadt and then Brett Crane. Nadja is here in person.

Hello, Salt Lake City Council. My name is Nadja Mattia, and I'm from the Wasatch Assembly, and I'm back to continue to talk about ICE and immigration policy in Utah. Again, I want to ask that we appreciate Chris for responding to our policy survey, but we still have not heard from most of you. And we just want to know, are you Are you committed to continue the fight against ICE? Do you want the community involved in local politics