Salt Lake divided over spending goals

In Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson's proposed budget, it's up with the national, down with the local.

At least that's how some City Council members are perceiving the way Anderson is proposing to spend city money.

Anderson wants to cut the $100,000 the city contributes to the Utah League of Cities and Towns (ULCT), thus ending the city's membership in the organization that does lobbying and other work for Utah's municipalities. The mayor also has suggested that the city quit participating in the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, which would save the city roughly $130,000.

At the same time, Anderson is recommending the city boost its contributions to the National League of Cities and Towns (from $10,400 to $10,750) and the U.S. Conference of Mayors (from $11,500 to $12,450). Anderson is highly active in both national groups.

"He wants to get out of all the local organizations, but he wants to remain in all the national organizations that he participates in," Council Chairman Dale Lambert said.

Anderson's spokeswoman, Deeda Seed, said the ULCT is overly influenced by its rural members and actually has taken several positions that were contrary to Salt Lake City's interests.

At the same time, the national league has pressed Congress to continue the community development block grant program, which President Bush wants to disband and re-create. Salt Lake City is heavily dependent on those grants, and community developers say the city would suffer mightily under the Bush proposal.

"The national league has been extremely helpful to us," Seed said. "The local league, frankly, has been less helpful."

The Utah league supported a measure to ban redevelopment agencies from developing sports stadiums and has opposed living-wage measures. Both are positions that run contrary to the mayor's desires.

Anderson has, at times, described Salt Lake City as an "island of progressivity" in conservative Utah.

But council members maintain the city needs to be less of an island: Utah's capital needs to build bridges inside the state rather than spending so much energy at the national level.

In recent weeks, Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan, who has a good relationship with other state and local politicians, was able to build support for constructing a Major League Soccer stadium in his city. Salt Lake City and Murray had been the lead contenders.

Salt Lake City leaders complain some $8 million in Salt Lake tax dollars will help pay for a parking garage that may end up being the factor that attracts a Real Salt Lake stadium to Sandy.