Salt Lake may end up sharing Palace project bill

Salt Lake City leaders should get ready to open their wallets — the Legislature may make them.

Sen. Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, said Wednesday his Salt Palace Convention Center expansion bill will include a provision that forces Salt Lake City to pay for part of that expansion.

City leaders have previously shied away from funding expansion saying the Salt Palace is a county-run facility, and the state will receive the most projected new revenue from the project.

Waddoups said Wednesday that his SB211 will call for no state money to be used in the expansion.

While Waddoups wouldn't divulge many details because the bill's text hasn't been made public yet he said the bill will divert some of Salt Lake City's current revenue streams into the convention center funding pot.

"It has a component that would put money Salt Lake City is currently using in there," he said.

Waddoups maintained it's not unfair for the Legislature to mandate where cities spend their money.

"I believe when there's a benefit for them, and you're the main recipient here, you should help fund it if the benefits are going to your city," he said. "The Salt Palace is in Salt Lake City. The people who come to the Salt Palace visit Salt Lake City restaurants; they stay in Salt Lake City hotels and visit Salt Lake City tourist sites. Obviously, Salt Lake City gets the major benefit."

Waddoups declined to say how much his bill would force Salt Lake City to pay. He did say there was at least one other entity that would also be forced to come up with money.

"They're not the only one," he said.

Currently, there is roughly $22 million needed to fund the Salt Palace Convention Center expansion.

Salt Lake County has already ponied up $15 million for the $82 million project — $60 million for the Salt Palace and $22 million for Sandy's South Town Expo Center parking structure. Waddoups' bill offers $45 million through a 1 percent hike to the county's hotel tax.

That leaves $22 million left for Salt Lake City and any others.

Waddoups declined to say whether Sandy City would be forced to pay as well since that city is home to the expo center.

Former County Mayor Alan Dayton, who is working as a county consultant, said Sandy likely won't be required to pay.

"They're not really in the cross hairs," Dayton said.

Those cross hairs, instead, seem aimed largely at Salt Lake City. Recently conservative lawmakers have traded barbs with liberal city Mayor Rocky Anderson who has called some GOP legislators "extremist Republicans."