In February Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski announced she would be seeking a sales tax increase and a new bonding measure on the November ballot.
The mayor has now proposed a 0.5 percent sales tax increase that would raise $33 million in additional revenue to fund four major areas: (1) street repair, (2) transit, including additional bus service possibly run by the city itself, (3) public safety and law enforcement and (4) affordable housing initiatives.
According to Biskupski and council chair Erin Mendenhall, 70 percent of residents support the tax increase. What that number really shows is that 70 percent of the public comments the city has received are in support of the increase.