SALT LAKE COUNTY
PUBLIC SAFETY BOND
VOTER INFORMATION
PAMPHLET
Vote by mail or in person on or by Nov 5, 2024
VOTE BY MAIL
OR IN PERSON
EARLY VOTING
Early voting available from October 22 – November 1 | 8am – 5pm at Salt Lake County Government Center or at Vote Centers October 29 – November 1.
On Election Day, Vote Centers are open from 7:00 am – 8:00 pm.
Find all voting information at slco.vote
BALLOTS WILL BE MAILED OCTOBER 15
TO RECEIVE A BALLOT IN THE MAIL,YOU MUST REGISTER TO VOTE BY OCTOBER 25.
Return your ballot by mail, drop it in a ballot box at a Vote Center, or vote in person.
Questions on voting?
Call (385) 468-7400 or Email: vote@saltlakecounty.gov
Statewide Electronic Voter Information Website: vote.utah.gov
SALT LAKE COUNTY
PUBLIC SAFETY BOND
LANGUAGE
OFFICIAL BALLOT FOR THE SALT LAKE COUNTY, UTAH LOCAL SPECIAL BOND ELECTION
Shall Salt Lake County, Utah, be authorized to issue general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $507,000,000 and to mature in no more than twenty-one (21) years from the date or dates of issuance of such bonds for the purpose of providing funds for: 1) acquiring and constructing a Justice and Accountability Center primarily for people who have had multiple encounters with law enforcement and who need a supervised and structured environment with resources to reduce repeat offenses, including for mental health and substance abuse treatment, job related services, and connection to housing opportunities; 2) combining the two county jails into one and increasing capacity, including an expanded mental health unit and a transitional unit to prepare those exiting the jail to reenter the community; 3) completing necessary capital maintenance on existing correctional facilities and 4) acquiring, constructing, expanding, equipping, renovating and remodeling related County public safety facilities and ancillary buildings and, to the extent necessary, for providing moneys for the refunding, at or prior to the maturity thereof, of general obligation bonds of the County authorized hereunder or heretofore issued and now outstanding?
PROPERTY TAX COST OF BONDS
A general obligation bond is a debt owed by the County. The County uses tax revenue to pay for the debt. If the bonds are issued as planned (which currently consists of 2 smaller issues of bonds totaling approximately $507,000,000 over the next 5 years, with each issue of bonds maturing approximately 20 years from the date it is issued), without regard to the taxes currently levied to pay outstanding bonds that will decrease over time, an annual property tax to pay debt service on the proposed bonds will be required over a period of 25 years in the estimated amount of $58.94 per year on a primary residence with the County average value of $602,000 and in the estimated amount of $107.16 per year on a business or secondary residence having the same value, which are equal to a monthly increase of $4.91 for an average residential property and $8.93 on a business property having the same value.
Average Property Tax Impact: $4.91/month
Example Ballot
Public Safety Bond Overview
THE $507 MILLION BOND WOULD FUND:
Building a Justice and Accountability Center:
- New lower-security facility for low-level offenders
- Increase access to mental health services, substance use treatment, job training,
and other vital services
Combining and Improving the County Jail:
- Increase the number of beds
- Expand access to mental health treatment
- Build a reentry unit to help people leaving jail prepare to rejoin society
- Make infrastructure improvements to Jail/Sheriff’s public safety buildings
About the Public Safety Bond
Salt Lake County voters are being asked to fund facilities anticipated to improve public safety, reduce repeat offenses, and save tax dollars.
The Public Safety bond is a central part of Salt Lake County’s partnership with the State of Utah and municipal governments in the region to address criminal justice reform and homelessness.
Public Safety Bond Goals
FEWER REPEAT OFFENDERS
- 30,000 people are booked into County Jail each year
- 70% are repeat offenders
- People are less likely to re-offend when given access to services
SAVING TAXPAYER DOLLARS
- Jail costs $136/day
- Justice & Accountability Center costs $75/day.
- Jail operations cost $136 per day per person
- Justice and Accountability Center operations cost $75 per day per person
INCREASE JAIL CAPACITY
No new jail beds have been added since 2001, despite a population growth of 300,000. The Public Safety Bond funds 812 newly constructed jail beds.
Arguments For and Against
the Public Safety Bond
Argument For
The Public Safety Bond is an investment in our community.
Over the last 15 years, Utah’s population has grown by nearly one million people. The space in our jail has barely increased. Inmates are being released without access to the resources needed to put them on a path toward self-reliance, leading to a cycle of repeat offenses. A fentanyl-fueled drug crisis has increased substance use, criminal activity, and homelessness on our streets. The State of Utah, municipal partners, and Salt Lake County have committed to a strategic plan to address our mental health, public safety, and homelessness challenges. As a part of this plan, Salt Lake County is taking actions such as expanding the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Task Force, investing in affordable housing, and advancing the Public Safety Bond.
The Public Safety Bond will fund:
Construction of a Justice and Accountability Center:
The Justice and Accountability Center is a secure alternative to jail for low-level offenders, many of whom are experiencing homelessness and often have substance use and mental health challenges. Integrated with the criminal justice system, the facility will provide resources to stop the cycle of criminal behavior. This includes caseworkers, job training, mental health and substance use disorder treatment, and connection to housing opportunities.
Our jail has become the primary system to serve people experiencing homelessness. Jail is also the largest mental health and substance use disorder treatment facility in the County. This comes at great expense to taxpayers, costing an average of $136 per inmate daily. It fails to address the cycle of repeat offenders and related costs. Instead, at $75 a day, the Justice and Accountability Center will save taxpayers as much as $6.8 million annually while reducing crime and improving public safety.
Expansion and Improvement of the County Jail:
Not a single jail bed has been added since 2001. The public safety bond increases jail capacity and combines the two county jails. It increases and improves access to mental health treatment. It also builds a reentry unit where inmates preparing to exit jail will work with caseworkers to access resources needed to rejoin society on a path toward self-reliance.
Timing is crucial because one of the two jails is nearing the end of its life span and needs to be replaced. Combining the jails now is more cost-effective than investing in repairs and building a replacement in ten years.
The Public Safety Bond will make our community safer, reduce homelessness, and improve lives.
Vote yes on the Public Safety Bond on November 5.
– Salt Lake County
Argument Against
I urge voters to turn down the proposed bond because it does not prioritize increasing jail beds, which are desperately needed, along with adequate funding of the DA that is required to lock up criminals that constantly threaten public safety. The revolving door reputation of the County Jail is partially due to repurposing the previous jail bond of $9.4 million a year to general funds instead of focusing on more jail beds and funding to prosecute constant criminal activity fully. Adequate staffing of the Jail and Sheriff’s office is also not prioritized. Police are unable to book drug dealers due to jail restrictions (they are usually released immediately).
Allowing the County to plan and build homeless shelters without proper and respectful citizen and neighborhood agreement has resulted in shelter neighborhoods bearing the brunt of constant criminal activity. The Legislative audit found the homeless shelters to be plagued by drug use and criminal activity near the shelters. This bond does not protect citizens from the County unilaterally placing shelters or Justice Centers in their neighborhoods without neighborhood approval.
The bond should not be passed since it does not prioritize public safety. A respectful public safety bond would increase available jail beds along with adequate staffing and prosecution funding to ensure that constant criminal behavior results in incarceration. Creating more jail beds and filling them with career criminals should happen before more homeless shelters or Justice Centers are built. This bond may also decrease the available jail beds temporarily while a bigger jail is constructed.
We need more jail beds, prosecutors, jail staff and police more than more homeless shelters. This bond may also result in more tax increases for operations and maintenance. Please vote against this bond.
– George Chapman Salt Lake City, Utah
Rebuttal
The Public Safety Bond is an investment in public safety by breaking the cycle of crime. It is a balanced approach to reduce crime, hold people accountable, and enhance public safety while saving taxpayer dollars.
Mr. Chapman is correct about Salt Lake County needing more jail beds. Not a single new jail bed has been added in Salt Lake County since 2001. The Public Safety Bond provides 812 newly constructed jail beds, including new mental health beds and a new unit to put inmates on a path toward self-reliance. Adequate staffing is always a priority for Salt Lake County. A key part of the Sheriff’s job is to ensure the jail operates safely and efficiently.
An additional aspect of the Public Safety Bond–the Justice and Accountability Center–is a supervised and secure alternative for low-level offenders. It connects them to mental health services, substance use treatment, job training, and housing opportunities. With services, offenders are less likely to re-offend because they face a healthier, productive future.
The Public Safety Bond is an efficient use of taxpayer dollars. Housing an inmate at the County Jail costs $136 a day. The Justice and Accountability Center costs an estimated $75 per day.
Like Mr. Chapman, Salt Lake County wants to end the revolving door in and out of the corrections system. Jails and emergency rooms should not be the default destination for low-level offenders with underlying issues. This bond reduces the number of offenders on the streets, increases neighborhood safety, and protects our businesses.
– Salt Lake County
To request a printed copy of the Voter Information Pamphlet, go to slco.to/bond, call (385) 468-7000, or email mayor@saltlakecounty.gov.
Para solicitar una copia impresa del Folleto de Información para el Votante en español, hace clic aquí, llame al (385) 468-7000 o enviar un correo electrónico a mayor@saltlakecounty.gov.