SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Salt Lake County Council unanimously passed County Mayor Jenny Wilson’s proposed 2024 budget, including free recreation passes and the elimination of library late fees for county youth.

Wilson unveiled the proposed budget in October, which included several “investments in quality of life” for Salt Lake County residents, which start in summer 2024. These investments, however, did not come without some cuts in other areas.

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As part of the passed budget, youth aged 5 to 18 years old will have access to a “My County Rec Pass.” The pass will provide free, unlimited access to all county-operated recreation centers, ice centers, and indoor and outdoor swimming pools. The program is funded through the Tourism, Recreation, Culture and Convention Support Program, which raises revenue from tourism.

“While we had to be very strategic and make cuts across the board, I’m proud of the way this budget invests in the people of Salt Lake County,” said Wilson. “The My County Rec Pass is one of the most exciting programs I’ve ever championed as mayor.”

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In addition to the My County Rec Pass, the budget allows for the elimination of all library late fees on children and young adult materials for a one-year pilot program. Even with the late fees waived, book borrowers will still be expected to return checked-out materials after three months or they will be charged for them.

“This will eliminate barriers to all of the fantastic resources available in the award-winning Salt Lake County Libraries for children and young adults,” said Wilson. “Late fees too often keep the very residents who could benefit most from using the library.”

Both benefits will kick off in the summer of 2024.

These programs would not be possible without some cuts, Wilson said. In October, Wilson said her budget faced multiple challenges, including a slowdown in tax revenues, inflation and increased healthcare costs.

The budget includes a hiring freeze for at least six months across all Salt Lake County positions, with some undisclosed exceptions. Some of the other key cuts include cutting county-wide travel expenses in half, denying 90% of new general fund requests and a 3% spending cut on personnel budgets and a 2% cut on operations budgets in county-wide tax-funded programs.

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