Salt Lake County adds $500,000 to budget

The Salt Lake County Council made its mark on the county's midyear budget, with each council member securing cash for projects in their districts.

All in all, the council added $500,000 worth of new initiatives to the budget, which the council approved Thursday night.

To make things fair, councilmen Michael Jensen and Mark Crockett split dollar amounts equally for projects on their respective sides of the valley.

Jensen secured $70,000 for park improvements in Magna while Crockett carved out $35,000 for tennis courts in the Canyon Rim area and another $35,000 for east-side parks.

The YWCA's family justice center in downtown Salt Lake City will now be able to be open for business five days a week after Councilman Jeff Allen secured $75,000 for the facility. Currently, the family justice center is only open on Thursdays, said Anne Burkholder, chief executive officer of the Salt Lake YWCA.

Councilwoman Jenny Wilson wants to lure minority teachers to the area and helped persuade the council to allocate $50,000 to the effort.

The council also approved Councilman Joe Hatch's request for $150,000 to upgrade the Rose Wagner Center for the Performing Arts.

The upgrade is contingent on a promise that Sundance made to Hatch to donate $75,000 in film equipment.

The county will also help pay down the Community Legal Center's mortgage, thanks to $25,000 Hatch secured.

Councilman Jim Bradley nabbed $40,000 to pay for a cultural exchange program with Taiwan, and Councilman Randy Horiuchi secured $20,000 to contribute to the planning effort for the resurrection of Japantown.

The County Council gave final approval to all midyear adjustments to the budget Tuesday night.

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