Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams says the county is making progress on building a healthy community by setting specific and measurable goals. This strategy was the focus of his 2016 State of the County Address today.
McAdams says Salt Lake County is leading the way forward on jobs, economic growth, public safety, fiscal discipline and responsive government. He touted the county’s success in maintaining a AAA bond rating, negotiating and signing the Mountain Accord to protect and conserve water, expanding access to preschool with a pay-for-success program and making the 9-1-1 emergency system more efficient.
And he says the county has achieved these things while balancing the budget and funding vital criminal justice reforms.
“We face challenges, certainly such as criminal justice, homelessness, road maintenance, supporting an aging population, jobs and the economy and air quality,” McAdams says. “We recognize those challenges and we will meet them head on.”
McAdams also announced the launch of the Salt Lake County dashboard called Salt Lake Metro Stat. It’s an online tool, where residents can go to view data on things like the crime rate, how many people are homeless and how quickly potholes are being filled.
Republican County Councilman Richard Snelgrove says he’s cautiously optimistic about the mayor’s data-based strategy.
“Our role as county councilmembers is to make sure that the programs that the mayor advocates, that much scrutiny is applied to those, that when dollars are allocated, it’s with good justification and it’s measured to determine whether that program continues,” Snelgrove says.
With the new dashboard tool on the county’s website, McAdams is hoping residents will track the progress of these programs as well.
