SLC Mayor Releases $11 Million ‘Winter COVID Plan’
Sep 1, 2020, 6:10 PM | Updated: 8:00 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall unveiled what she called the city’s “Winter COVID Plan,” which includes $11 million in funding to help residents who have suffered negative economic impacts during the pandemic.
Mendenhall presented her plan through a pre-produced video she showed the city council during their weekly, online work meeting Tuesday afternoon.
“Many are wondering how we are going to get through the challenges that COVID will present through the remainder of this pandemic,” Mendenhall said at the beginning of her video.
The plan calls for nearly $11 million in funding covering five major areas:
- Public health
- Education
- Child care
- Economic support for businesses
- City operations
Mendenhall said these are the areas that can help the city move forward in very difficult times.
“We want Salt Lake City residents to know that no matter what those hardships may be in the coming months as we wait for a vaccine the city is hard at work trying to make things a little bit easier,” Mendenhall told KSL during a zoom interview.
One of the major proposals is to put a Wi-Fi backhaul station on the top of Ensign Peak. This would allow for free Wi-Fi for families in need.
“We would be deploying free public Wi-Fi in areas of our city that have the least internet access, and that could be the difference between the student being able to turn in a homework assignment on time or someone applying for a job or connecting with health care providers,” said Mendenhall.
But it’s not going to be cheap to carry out this plan. Here’s the breakdown:
- $9 million for a mortgage package to help in the housing crisis.
- $1.6 million for youth programs that would be offered nine hours a day to help working parents.
- $150,000 for the 4th Street Clinic which offers health care for the homeless.
- $75,000 for the Wi-Fi station and services.
- $50,000 for public health.
- $25,000 for the Suazo Business Center – a business resource center for the Hispanic community.
All the money will come from the city budget, except for some of the $9 million for mortgage assistance, which will come from the federal CARES Act.
“Salt Lake City is in great shape and we are going to be in even better shape as we go into this winter with this plan and support for our community,” said Mendenhall.
