S.L. tightens campaign rules

Salt Lake City leaders tightened up the city's campaign finance rules Tuesday, clarifying that campaign contributions cannot be used for personal use.

But in doing so the City Council also allowed for less disclosure of those contributions. The council axed a requirement that candidates with open campaign committees be required to file reports every February.

Under the new law the council passed Tuesday, candidates only have to file three reports prior to an election. The first report now isn't until June and only needs to be filed in an election year.

City leaders decided to review their campaign finance laws to make certain that leftover campaign contributions could not be used for personal gain. The council also raised the minimum contribution limits that one person could give to a single candidate. The old limit for City Council candidates was $1,500 and it was raised to $2,000. The limit for mayor had been $7,500 but it was boosted a similar amount to account for inflation.