Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski proposed a half-penny city sales tax increase to help fund initiatives on housing, transportation, road repair, public safety and the environment in her third annual state of the city address Wednesday.
The $35 million in projected additional revenue from the half-percentage point increase, which the mayor noted was equal to a nickel for every $10 spent, could be paired with $87 million in new capital investment if voters approve a bond this year. The mayor said a capital borrowing of that size would cost about $5 annually per household.
“For the first time, Salt Lake City has a robust transit master plan, a housing plan, and an in-depth understanding of our infrastructure needs,” Biskupski said in prepared remarks released as she began her address at the Horizonte school, a non-traditional high school.