The Salt Lake County Public Safety Bond is a necessary investment for our future

With such high stakes at the national level, it’s easy to forget that small, local issues often have the biggest impact on communities. Salt Lake County’s Public Safety Guarantee is one of those problems. As our community continues to grow, so do the challenges we face in law enforcement, homelessness, mental health, and criminal justice reform. The public safety guarantee on Salt Lake County ballots – a measure supported across the political spectrum – is essential to addressing these issues and creating a safer, healthier community for all.

The band, with the support of Mayor Jenny Wilson and eight of the nine members of the Salt Lake County Council, has broad appeal. Conservatives and progressives alike recognize that this is not just a financial decision, but a moral one – an opportunity to provide the necessary infrastructure to address the root causes of crime, homelessness and recidivism while protecting the safety and well-being of our residents. to guarantee.

At the heart of the bond is the creation of a new Justice and Accountability Center, a facility designed to support people who have committed low-level crimes — many of whom are struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues what they need to turn their lives around. all around. The JAC will provide housing assistance, mental health care, substance abuse treatment and job training, as well as other resources essential to breaking harmful cycles. The current prison system, which does not have adequate mental health and reentry services, is simply not equipped to meet these needs. As a result, law enforcement tends to see the same people re-enter the justice system over and over again.

While the financials of this decision should not outweigh the most supportive option for our community, the two are not mutually exclusive; the JAC offers a cost-effective alternative to incarceration. Imprisoning someone costs $136 a day; services at the JAC are only $75 per day. This is not only a more compassionate solution, but also one that is both more effective and costs half of what we do now. By investing in prevention and rehabilitation, the county will save up to $6.8 million annually in reduced jail costs, while reducing crime rates and improving public safety.

In addition to this critical new center, the bond will also fund long-awaited infrastructure improvements to our county’s jails. One of the county’s jails has already exceeded its lifespan and overcrowding is a serious problem. Delaying this investment will only increase the costs in the long run. Combining the two prisons into one modern facility is the most cost-effective way to address both current overcrowding and deteriorating infrastructure. If we don’t act now, the province will eventually face even higher costs to replace failing structures and address the lack of space.

The immense benefits of the Public Safety Bond will have minimal financial impact on the average county resident. The bond will result in an estimated property tax increase of just $4.91 per month for a home with the county’s median value of $602,000 — that’s about the average price you’ll buy for a hamburger these days. Frankly, this bond is a well-thought-out, thoughtful approach to tackling remarkably serious public safety challenges from multiple angles. It’s the kind of public policymaking that is so often missing from federal and state efforts to address public safety, where grandeur, partisanship and winning are often seen as more important than solving problems.

The Public Safety Bond is not just a response to the immediate challenges we face – it is a proactive investment in Salt Lake County’s future. It represents a unique opportunity for all of us to come together in support of a common goal: creating a community where every resident has the opportunity to thrive in a safe, healthy and supportive environment.

Jeff Merchant is the Executive Director of the Alliance for a Better Utah and the Better Utah Institute.