Governor Cox released his 2022 budget yesterday (at Antelope Island no less, my old stomping grounds! He chose this location, I’m sure, to emphasis the resources he proposes to direct toward Great Salt Lake restoration and water conservation and infrastructure, which is substantial in the budget). There are a number of growth and planning-related proposals in his budget.
In one of my earlier posts last month, it was indicated that the new Unified Commission on Economic Opportunity was really becoming the state-level body to discuss growth-related issues. I mentioned that at their recent meeting, it was talked about that there should be a state-wide discussion about growth issues and ideas to deal with it. That effort, it was indicated, would be led by Laura Hansen, the State Planning Coordinator. The just-released budget proposes funding to support this effort:
It is no surprise that housing affordability, air quality, water availability, and infrastructure investments are top of mind for many Utahns. Policies that navigate the state’s rapid growth must be renewed, and the public must have a role in that conversation. Aligned with the work of the Economic Opportunity Commission, Gov. Cox recommends $1 million to fund a data- driven, statewide conversation about growth. This effort will be designed to explore the values residents feel are most important, and evaluate support for policy strategies that the state can undertake to maintain and promote quality of life.
The main, 600-pound gorilla issue that has been rattling around for a couple of years now is affordable housing, as I’ve written about on numerous occasions. Both the Commission on Housing Affordability and the UCEO have been working on this, as well as individual legislators. The Governor’s budget proposes the following for housing affordability:
Our middle class is feeling the pressure of a hot real estate market and the rising cost of living. Gov. Cox recommends $50 million to foster the development of more than 1,100 affordable housing units across the state through private activity bonds. Additionally, the governor proposes $50 million for the new construction or rehabilitation of rural workforce housing so all areas of our state can benefit from an accessible, competitive labor pool.
To assist in the management of growth generally, the Governor’s budget proposes several initiatives, including one that Craig Call and I recently discussed with the current State Property Rights Ombudsman, Jordan Cullimore. This program is intended to help build a cadre of “trained” people who can assist in conducting the required land use administration training that is now required for all planning commission members, as well as for others.
Local governments are struggling to keep up with planning issues such as transportation, housing affordability, and economic opportunity due to rapid growth. Gov. Cox recommends $1.7 million in ongoing funds to assist local governments with planning issues. This additional funding will not create new programs, but rather add $600,000 to the Utah Department of Transportation’s Technical Planning Assistance Grant program and provide the state’s Associations of Government with $1.1 million distributed equally to provide assistance and training to local governments. An additional $250,000 in one-time funds will support the development of a “Train the Trainer” program in the Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman to support dissemination of current land use requirements and best practices.
There’s lots more in the budget on growth and planning, which I’ll get into more in upcoming posts. You can take a look at the entire proposed budget for yourself here https://gopb.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021_12_07-Budget-Book.pdf Keep in mind, the Governor’s budget is only a recommendation, with the legislature having the final say in what gets enacted.
Stay tuned!