The Salt Lake County Council unanimously passed a roughly $1.5 billion 2019 budget at its meeting on Tuesday, which council members say prioritizes public safety and criminal justice without increasing taxes.
The budget retains most of the funding outgoing Mayor Ben McAdams proposed when he presented his budget plan to the council in October. That includes $1.3 million toward fully funding the opening of two additional pods at Oxbow jail to address the state’s ongoing jail bed crisis, and $3.4 million to attract, hire and retain law enforcement officers and staff, with a 2.