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Two landmark anti-discrimination laws are done -- signed, sealed and on Salt Lake City's books.
And with the LDS Church's head-turning nod, city leaders can breathe easier that protections for gays in housing and employment won't be a target during the upcoming legislative session.
But instead of taking a break, try this for an encore at City Hall: Alcohol reform, including neighborhood bars, a crackdown on aggressive panhandling, the Northwest Quadrant Master Plan, North Temple's "Grand Boulevard," plus a new viaduct for the airport TRAX train.
Oh, and a second consecutive budget crisis, one in which Mayor Ralph Becker and the City Council must figure out how to plug a $4 million hole -- dug through sagging sales taxes and lagging overall revenues.
Half the list -- including the budget crunch -- will see some kind of verdict by year's end. But the more explosive policy decisions, including those addressing bars and beggars, won't be resolved until after newcomer Stan Penfold joins the council in January.
With precious weeks remaining in 2009 -- and only two planned council meetings -- Becker says establishing a Community Development Area (CDA) to fund a new viaduct, and deciding the design elements for a North Temple makeover are top priorities.
"We'll be working continuously between now and the end of the year," the mayor says, "to get that done."
The CDA would siphon property taxes from the city, Salt Lake
Alongside the North Temple train, the city also must select the scope of landscaping, public art and public pathways for the gateway to downtown -- dubbed the Grand Boulevard.
Continuing the road to alcohol reform, the council also is expected to eliminate, before the new year dawns, the two-bar-per block restriction across the downtown business district.
"We'll put that to bed," Councilman J.T. Martin says. "The people who do business on Main Street, the Chamber of Commerce, the religious community, say this law was written in the '70s.
"It doesn't serve us well," Martin adds. "It needs correcting. Plus, we have huge blocks."
Becker suggests the change will not be controversial. "But for those doing business, it will make a big difference."
The same is not true for the neighborhood-bar component, which already has communities buzzing and administration insiders backtracking a bit. Part of the problem, Becker says, is misperception.
"People think we're putting bars in residential areas. That's not what we're proposing," the mayor says. "It's small commercial areas that have a residential component in some proximity."
A vote likely won't come until February, but council members already are taking flak from neighborhood activists and fearful small-business owners.
Another hot-button policy that will wait until 2010: how to police aggressive panhandling.
"That's going to be our next controversial issue," Martin predicts about the ordinance, still in draft form. "We'll have a lot of smart, opinionated people on both sides. It's going to be a no-win situation."
The idea calls for placing time, place and manner restrictions in the name of public safety. "Aggressive" street solicitations would be barred near sidewalk cafes, vendors, churches, ATMs, bus and train stops and people waiting in lines.
Low-income advocates and civil libertarians worry about infringing on free speech and call the draft "creepy."
Becker says he "could" have a recommendation to the council by year's end, although any action would come in January at the earliest. The American Civil Liberties Union, Police Department and the city's Human Rights Commission still are reviewing the proposal, notes David Ever -itt, Becker's chief of staff.
When the calendar flips, Council Chairman Carlton Christensen notes lawmakers also must dive into the Northwest Quadrant Master Plan. Favorably recommended by the Planning Commission, the document outlines future development across a massive swath of the city's northwest corner, extending to the Davis County line and the edge of the Great Salt Lake.
"It's pretty substantive," Christensen says. "It will set some pretty significant policy direction in that area. And it's not without controversy."
Another touchy subject: The city's incredibly shrinking budget. That will have to be solved in December.
"Revenue is down across the board," says Becker, noting that the $4 million shortage in sales taxes and other revenue collections equates to a 2 percent budget hit.
Last year, the mayor mandated cuts across every department. He later imposed a modest employee furlough to recover revenue lost to the recession.
This time, Becker says, specific remedies -- or, more accurately, hardships -- still are being worked out. "We'll be making some adjustments."
Read more about the city's new ordinance to protect gays from discrimination in housing and employment. › sltrib.com
