Editors Note: This article was originally published in the March 6, 2024 issue of the Chronicle Progress. Some information may be outdated.
The 2024 General Session finished March 1, and the $29.4 billion state budget approved included $167 million for an income tax cut, $113 million for law enforcement, $832 million for public education and $188 million for higher education, and $300 million in subsidized loans for affordable housing projects.
Many in Iron County know of the challenges to fund a new county jail. Rep. Rex Shipp and I offered HB 113, which would have raised sales tax up to 0.4% after a vote of county residents, but it was met with great resistance in the Senate.
Working with other legislators, county commissioners, and other experts, we found another solution.
HB 488 now has a provision that will allow for the funding of a jail, with an already authorized transportation sales tax that is allowed for mass transit, but as rural counties don’t have much need for mass transit, it can be used for the jail.
Counties are classified into different classes based on size, for example, Salt Lake County is a 1 Class county, while Rich County is a 6 Class.
HB 488 allows 3 Class through 6 Class counties, Iron County being a 3 Class county, to hold a truth in taxation hearing and impose a county wide sales tax of 0.3%, to help with funding for needs like a county jail.
Other rural counties could also benefit from this provision by using it to improve their public safety/law enforcement programs if they choose.
As housing affordability and shortage are key issues facing our state, I ran S.B. 185 Residential Building Inspection Amendments. It promotes efficiency and decreased costs as it streamlines the process of inspecting a building by allowing contractors and developers to use approved outside building inspectors if their municipality fails to complete an inspection within three days.
H.B. 562 establishes a revitalization district in the long-neglected west side of Salt Lake to build a Utah-owned Major League Baseball stadium.
This will be a private-public partnership, where the state will be the sole owner of the stadium, and the stadium tenant will be responsible for all operations and maintenance costs, in addition to making lease payments to the state.
S.B. 272 provide Salt Lake City an option for city revitalization for a possible hockey stadium, which would bring improved roads, increased public safety, and more.
Finally, I had the opportunity to meet with Gov. Spencer Cox this week and deliver a memento from a Cedar City business.
Braden Yardley, owner of Yardley Sports in Cedar City, created a custom baseball glove for Gov. Cox as a token of his admiration and support.
Gov. Cox was delighted. Moments like these remind me of the incredible people and businesses that make up our community.
Interim meetings start in May to review legislation passed and plan for 2025.
I welcome your feedback.
Please reach out anytime at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
