December 16, 2020(Salt Lake Tribune) - It looked like a stroke of genius. Back in the 1950s, California officials, looking to fund economic development projects under tight budget constraints, created a mechanism known as tax increment financing, or TIF. The idea was to pledge new (or incremental) tax revenue generated from a project to make the project itself possible. It would be a clean win for the public, because the only money to be spent would be money that would not … Continued
December 16, 2020(Salt Lake Tribune) - Two out of three Utah voters believe state lawmakers listen to business, religious or special interest groups more than they do voters, according to the Utah Foundation. The nonprofit surveyed hundreds of Utahns for its Utah Priorities Project and found that voters in March ranked the unresponsiveness of politicians as the top issue. But in July, well into the coronavirus pandemic, it had dropped to No. 6 behind health care, taxes, education, the economy and … Continued
December 16, 2020(UtahPolicy.com) - In November, Utah Foundation held a Breakfast Briefing on the topic of homelessness, sponsored by the University of Utah’s College of Social and Behavioral Science. The panel of experts featured: Tricia Davis, of the Utah Homelessness Programs Office Utah Representative Eric Hutchings Dr. Jeff Rose, of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism at the University of Utah Dr. Jesús N. Valero, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Utah The panelists … Continued
December 10, 2020(KUER) - Local governments in Utah are twice as likely to use tax incentives to fund economic development compared to other municipalities around the country according to a new report from the non-profit group Utah Foundation. The incentives, also known as ‘tax increment financing’, are used to encourage growth by making building costs more affordable for developers. And while Utah governments are more likely to use these incentives, the report found they could also be more transparent … Continued
December 09, 2020(UtahPolicy.com) - Interest rates are at historic lows, Utah’s AAA bond rating is still going strong, and we have significant bonding capacity, even within the state’s tight statutory and constitutional constraints. Under normal circumstances, these factors alone would make this an advantageous time to consider a bonding program for infrastructure. But with Utah and its local governments exploring options for economic stimulus, a strong case can be made for focusing efforts on infrastructure. Investments in infrastructure protect … Continued
December 01, 2020(UtahPolicy.com) - Utah Foundation has released the sixth in a series of Utah Priorities Project briefs looking at Utah voters’ top concerns. The 2020 Priorities survey revealed a new voter priority for 2020: Politicians listening to voters. The survey showed that Utah voters believe that elected officials are paying too little attention to voters in favor of corporations, religious organizations, the well-connected or special interest groups. When prioritized among other issues in early March 2020, politicians listening … Continued
November 18, 2020(UtahPolicy.com) - We regularly query leaders from the state’s policy institutes/think tanks regarding timely policy issues important to the state. Here is our latest question and responses from our panel of policy savants: In normal (non-pandemic) times, Utah’s public education system performs quite well, despite our lowest-in-the-country spending per pupil. But if Utah aspires to be a top-five education state, can we do so at current per-pupil spending levels? At what spending level can we achieve top-in-the-country … Continued
November 12, 2020(UtahPolicy.com) - When Clayton Christensen passed away at the beginning of this year, Utah lost one of its most prominent sons. The Harvard business professor had become, as one observer put it, the “the most influential management thinker of his time” and his theory of “disruptive innovation” perhaps the most influential business idea. In this edition of Utah Foundation’s Utah Thrives, we hear about Christensen’s legacy from Efosa Ojomo, who co-wrote a book with Christensen and who … Continued
November 06, 2020(Deseret News) - Lost in all the attention surrounding the vote-counting for president is the fact that Utahns decided last Tuesday to dramatically change the way they fund public education. Amendment G, the proposal to remove the constitutional provision requiring all income tax funds in the state be dedicated to public and higher education, is passing easily, according to official ballot counts posted Thursday. That means another bill lawmakers passed earlier this year will take effect, which sets … Continued
November 05, 2020(UtahPolicy.com) - Utah Foundation has released the next installment in its Homelessness Series. Widening the Doors of Hope: Addressing Coronavirus-Related Challenges Among Homeless Service Providers explores the coping strategies and innovations that providers are adopting to withstand the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Among the findings of the report…
November 04, 2020(City Weekly) - The weather’s changing and Utah’s homeless population will soon be left out in the cold. The Road Home has closed and satellite operations have not all had the desired effect. The Utah Foundation plans to address these questions at Homeless in Salt Lake: The COVID-19 Response and People on Streets: How have Utah’s homeless service providers dealt with the pandemic? Where are the efforts to address service gaps going? How should we approach those who … Continued
November 03, 2020(KJZZ TV) - Christopher Collard, a research analyst at Utah Foundation, says it takes a while for young people to develop roots in a community and that’s reflected in voter participation by age. He says: “Millennials and post-millennials, they make up almost half of the adult population in Utah. They only make up one-third of the voting population.” A quick breakdown of Utah’s Gen-Z and Millennial population. (KUTV) Millennials are the largest generation in the state, but Gen … Continued
November 03, 2020(Herald Extra) - According to Bowen’s campaign site, if elected, she is planning to prioritize the Utah Foundation’s list of issues, which was formed from a statewide survey conducted in 2016. The list includes water supply and quality, air quality, crime, healthcare, jobs and the economy, homelessness and poverty, K-12 education, taxes, the environment, and partisan politics.
November 03, 2020(KMYU TV) - Christopher Collard, a research analyst at Utah Foundation, says it takes a while for young people to develop roots in a community and that’s reflected in voter participation by age. He says: “Millennials and post-millennials, they make up almost half of the adult population in Utah. They only make up one-third of the voting population.” A quick breakdown of Utah’s Gen-Z and Millennial population. (KUTV) Millennials are the largest generation in the state, but Gen … Continued
November 02, 2020(KUER) - In the time since the last presidential election, Republicans and Democrats in Utah have become more ideologically divided, according to a new report from the Utah Foundation. The report found, through a survey, that Republicans in Utah are just about as conservative as they were in 2016, but Democrats have become more liberal. The number of “consistently liberal” voters in the state increased by 23%. “A shift towards taking more liberal positions — it kind … Continued
October 29, 2020(Rod Arquette Show) - Utah Foundation President Peter Reichard joins Rod to discuss the results of a recent study that shows growing partisan division in Utah
October 29, 2020(UtahPolicy.com) - The Salt Lake Chamber, along with the signatories below, has issued the following statement promoting patience and civility regarding the upcoming election: “As business and community leaders, we express our optimism in the voice of the American people as they vote in this important election. Our Republic was founded on the desire for representation, and the spirit of democracy-manifest through the electoral process-sustains the health of our institutions, including our market economy. “We applaud candidates, … Continued
October 27, 2020(UtahPolicy.com) - During every gubernatorial election year, Utah Foundation surveys Utah voters to understand their priorities and releases a series of reports as the Utah Priorities Project. The summer 2020 priority list for Utahns overall can be found in the first report of the 2020 series. This report, Red, Gray and Blue: The Issues that Unite and Divide Utah Voters, looks at how priorities are different across party and ideological lines. The report highlights both similarities and … Continued
October 25, 2020(UtahPolicy.com) - In a new episode of Utah Thrives, Utah Foundation discusses the seven constitutional amendment propositions on the November 3, 2020, ballot. We give particular attention to Amendment G, which would allow income tax revenues to be used for purposes beyond education. Listen to the podcast.
October 26, 2020(UtahPolicy.com) - Utah is fortunate to be served by a number of capable think tanks and policy institutes. Periodically, UtahPolicy.com poses a question to leaders from these organizations regarding important and timely policy issues. For this week’s question we noted the large group of Utah leaders that promoted and signed the Utah Climate & Clean Air Compact, which encourages all citizens and organizations to follow “The Utah Roadmap: Positive Solutions on Climate and Air Quality.” The roadmap … Continued
October 23, 2020(KSL.com) - Health care cost and accessibility were determined to be the No. 1 most important issue for Utah voters in an August 2020 report from the Utah Foundation. During Thursday’s debate, Trump defended his health care record while Biden laid out a plan to “expand” the Affordable Care Act and rebuffed claims that his ideas are a stepping-stone on the road to a single-payer system. “What I’m going to do is pass Obamacare with a public … Continued
October 22, 2020(Utah Business) - An analysis by the Utah Foundation suggests that Medicaid costs do not increase linearly with enrollment. Historically, the most expensive Medicaid recipients have been those with disabilities or other conditions that prevent them from working, says Shawn Teigen, research director at the Utah Foundation. Disabled individuals represent less than 15 percent of the population enrolled in Utah’s Medicaid program, yet they account for nearly half the program’s spending. And because disability was already a condition … Continued
October 21, 2020(Deseret News) - The Utah Foundation’s recent report, “On The Ballot,” analyzed all seven proposed constitutional amendments before Utah voters. The independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization says the fiscal impact of Amendment G is “unclear.” “The definition of programs that “support children and … support individuals with a disability” is not well-defined and is subject to interpretation. The Lieutenant Governor’s Office estimates that up to $600 million is currently spent on such categories. Still, the vagueness of the … Continued
October 21, 2020(Rod Arquette Show) - Utah Foundation President Peter Reichard joins Rod to discuss the details of Amendment G, which makes changes to how income taxes are distributed for education in Utah.
