Thursday October 13, 2022 | |
With a month until the 2022 midterm election, and less than 100 days until the start of the 2023 General Legislative Session, the national and state political scenes are heating up. This newsletter will provide a quick update on the Unified Economic Opportunity Commission’s recent meeting and related policy recommendations, legislative interim, the Governor’s trails proposal, highlight a few pieces of legislation now in action (HTRZ + SAP), and give a brief look at what’s been happening in Washington.
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Unified Economic Opportunity Commission (UEOC)
The UEOC met Wednesday September 28th, to hear reports and recommendations from its various working groups, including the Growth and Transportation working group, in which WFRC was integrally involved. WFRC’s Executive Director, Andrew Gruber, provided recommendations related to the Growth Alignment subgroup, and Leif Elder of UDOT provided recommendations from the Transportation Financing subgroup. The UEOC voted to support these items, forwarding them to legislative interim committees and to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget for consideration in the Governor’s budget. WFRC, along with our partners, will now work to further explore, study, and implement the recommendations.
The Commission on Housing Affordability, which is also a working group of the UEOC, had proposals brought before the Commission. However, because there still seemed to be a lack of consensus on some of the proposals from the Attainable Housing subgroup, the CHA Co-chair Lincoln Fillmore suggested the UEOC delay considering the items until the November UEOC meeting to allow for further discussion amongst parties. It was clear that Senator Fillmore and the rest of legislative leadership represented on the UEOC intend to make some big, and potentially controversial recommendations in regards to housing affordability.
After yet another year of convening the UEOC, it remains arguably one of the most productive and impactful commissions to date. We look forward to seeing many of the proposals move forward towards legislative and other administrative actions.
Legislative Interim
The legislature met in September to discuss a variety of issues. Of note was the aeronautics discussion in the Transportation Interim Committee about advanced air mobility and roadway safety. Additionally, the Senate Transportation Confirmation Committee confirmed UTA Trustee Carlton Christensen for an additional term (congratulations Trustee Christensen!).
Lastly, the Executive Appropriations Committee met and heard a fascinating report on Utah’s economy which highlighted various inflation indicators and recessionary concerns, and the Legislative Audit Subcommittee heard a review of Tax Increment Financing.
The legislature will meet again this month for October interim on the 18th and19th, with interim and appropriation subcommittees convening. We anticipate a report in the Transportation Interim Committee about UDOT and UTA’s transit capital development planning that came out of HB322 in last year’s legislative session, as well as a brief discussion on corridor preservation.
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The Governor's Trails Proposal
During the opening session of the Utah League of Cities and Towns Annual Convention held last week, Governor Cox announced his intention to work towards establishing an integrated statewide trail network. The big and bold idea, championed along with UDOT Executive Director Carlos Braceras, is intended to establish regional trails and connect with existing local trail systems in the state for greater connectivity in our active transportation system (walking, biking, running, etc). While details on the proposal are yet to be determined, the Governor indicated that he will work with the Legislature over the next few years to invest in our trails to continue to make Utah the “most outdoor friendly state in the nation.” This exciting idea is consistent with the plans and proposals WFRC and our partners have developed for the future of our region's trail system, and we look forward to helping make it a reality.
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2022 Legislation in Action
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Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zones (HTRZ): The Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity convened the inaugural Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zone Committee recently to review the very first HTRZ proposal. The proposal was brought to the committee by Sandy City after a gap analysis was prepared by Zions Bank Public Finance. The project, located within one-third of a mile of the South Jordan FrontRunner station, would have at least 10% of the residential units set aside for affordable housing. The proposal would have allowed for tax increment to be captured over the life of the project to help finance development costs associated with a gap in financing related to providing those affordable units and for other project infrastructure. After deliberation, the HTRZ committee voted to approve the HTRZ, but not at the requested level of tax increment. With market conditions what they are today, it’s unclear if the project will move forward without the full increment. However, it was a meaningful process for all parties involved to go through to assess the process for developing and reviewing HTRZ proposals.
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Station Area Planning (HB462): HB462, Housing Affordability Amendments, requires a city that has a fixed-guideway public transit station (rail or BRT) to develop a Station Area Plan for that station and update its general plan and zoning to implement the Station Area Plan and promote objectives such as housing affordability and availability and access to opportunities. WFRC and our partners at UTA and MAG are working with communities to implement the provisions of station area planning by providing technical assistance to communities, and working with them to begin and certify their Station Area Plans. In July alone, WFRC awarded over $910,000 in funding for the first round of technical assistance and a number of communities have their station area plans ready for adoption or have been submitted to WFRC for certification. As we continue to see implementation progress and best practices enacted over the coming months, we will be sure to share.
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Congress
Last month, Congress averted a government shutdown by passing a short-term stop-gap spending bill to fund the government through December 16th, 2022. The legislation, which was initially held up, moved forward after Senator Joe Manchin agreed to drop an energy permitting reform provision which was attached to the bill. The spending bill also includes economic and military aid for Ukraine, heating and utility assistance for low-income families, aid in response to the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, and a five-year reauthorization for Food and Drug Administration User Fees.
With the final legislative action keeping the government funded, Congress is recessed for the month of October to give members time to campaign back home ahead of the upcoming November midterm election. When they return, members will have a big list of things to tackle, including funding the government, confirming nominees, passing the National Defense Authorization act, and potentially taking up same-sex marriage legislation.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Implementation in Utah
It has been nearly a year since the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also formerly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, was passed and signed into law. Over the past year, states and local governments have eagerly awaited further guidance for implementing provisions of the infrastructure bill, and opportunities to apply for federal discretionary grant programs. We at WFRC continue to coordinate our efforts on the IIJA with our partners.
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Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A): WFRC, on behalf of our region, is pursuing a federal SS4A Safety Action Plan Grant. This is intended to identify risk factors for fatal and serious injury crashes, and recommend safety strategies to mitigate those risks. If awarded funding, it will enable the development of a safety action plan, and upon completion of the plan, communities in the region would then be eligible to apply for SS4A capital project grant funding to support the safety of our roads and streets for all roadway users. The WFRC area Safety Action Plan will include southern Box Elder, Davis, Morgan, Salt Lake, Tooele, and Weber Counties (the WFRC area). WFRC submitted our application in early September, prior to the September 15th application deadline.
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Thriving Communities Program (TCP): The NOFO for the USDOT’s Thriving Communities Program was released last week. Beginning in 2023, the Thriving Communities Program will provide technical assistance, planning, and capacity building support to teams of community partners that may lack the staffing or technical expertise to scope, fund, and develop infrastructure projects that advance broader community goals. The goal of the TCP is to ensure disadvantaged communities adversely and/or disproportionately affected by environmental, climate, and human health policy outcomes have the technical tools and organizational capacity to comprehensively plan for and deliver quality infrastructure projects and community development projects that enable their communities and neighborhoods to thrive. WFRC is currently evaluating this NOFO and how it may be beneficial to our region.
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Glad to be back with you all again.
Best,
Miranda Jones Cox
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