If more than a billion dollars were raised through an increase in Salt Lake City sales taxes, how would each of US prioritize the use of the tax revenues?

Would subsidizing the Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) and Billionaire Ryan Smith for a new hockey arena and a surrounding ten-square-block “revitalization zone” be our only––or even among our top––priorities for the expenditure of new SLC tax revenues?

Would they be higher priorities for us than, say, improving air quality, eliminating homelessness, improving long-ignored city infrastructure, expanding open space, providing far more affordable housing at all income levels, saving the Great Salt Lake, increasing access to health care, providing more transit options, or providing affordable childcare?

None of us were asked. The Legislature, the City Mayor, the City Council, and the Billionaire whose interests are being served by them excluded us from the process.

Well, we can make sure we're no longer excluded. In fact, we can make sure that we-the-people make the final decision by getting this issue on the ballot.

We also weren’t asked if the sales tax increase should be State- or County-wide, rather than just in Salt Lake City. (The Legislature loves to stick it to Salt Lake City, especially with our present mayor.) When the major arts buildings and Salt Palace within the proposed zone to be controlled by Ryan Smith belong to the County, why would this be only a city-wide tax increase?

At the 2023-24 legislative session, at the behest of SEG, the Utah Legislature rushed through Senate Bill 272, which allows Salt Lake City to increase sales taxes city-wide by .5% for 30 years.

The total amount expected to be raised from that sales tax increase is between $1–1.62 Billion. It can be used only for SEG’s sports arena and development by SEG of a designated “Revitalization Zone” covering up to ten square blocks, to be controlled by SEG. None of the public money will be repaid from SEG’s profits. 

Nothing has been done to preserve our First Amendment rights on the property over which Smith will have control. How much are our Mayor and City Council ready to hand over to one Billionaire, at our expense?

This did not begin with a public process during which residents and other stakeholders were asked what WE want in our downtown and what values we believe should be promoted through the expenditure of over $1 Billion from increased sales taxes. It began with the Legislature's response to what SEG wanted, then with the SLC and Salt Lake County mayors and the SLC Council buckling under, contrary to the desires of the overwhelming majority of voters. 

The Mendenhall administration engages in far more public process to get input about what should be done with a medium-size park in our city than about whether we want our Council to give the go-ahead for a billionaire (with no experience in downtown revitalization) to take OUR money to control 100 acres of our downtown so he can further enrich himself. 

The public has received very little information about the plans for the Revitalization Zone, yet the City and County mayors and the SLC Council have been cheer-leading the project from the outset.

During this truncated process, the shocking news was disclosed that the beloved iconic Abravanel Hall, home to the Utah Symphony, might either be razed or significantly altered to accommodate the plans of SEG. Just the fact that SEG and its puppet-mayors were proposing and rationalizing the demolition of Abravanel Hall reflects how out of touch they are with the values of our community. 

The public is entitled to an open discussion and consideration of what our community’s values are and what will best promote those values, now and in the future, particularly through the expenditure of public funds and the privatization of formerly public property.

Insist on a process by which members of the diverse public can be fully informed and then determine, through a vote, whether a city-wide sales tax increase should be approved and, if so, toward what end.

Since the Council is going to vote for the tax increase on October 1, 2024, we have the opportunity to reverse their decision through the referendum process.

Will we come together and work as a community to get this matter on the ballot for a vote by the people? Let's show the world what will happen when Billionaires and the elected officials who do their will disregard the priorities of the voters. It's high time for a referendum so the PEOPLE can decide on the tax increase and the subsidy of many hundreds of millions of public dollars for a Billionaire!

Take a stand against Billionaire-welfare -- and for the right of direct democracy through the referendum process. Since the Mayor and City Council are siding for Ryan Smith and against the desire of the people of our community, let's make sure we all work to get this on the ballot so the people can decide. 

If you want to help, please be in touch: rockyanderson.justice@gmail.com.