With the Salt Lake City Council poised to pass a major tax increase for a proposed downtown sports, entertainment, culture and convention district, some wonder why voters don’t get a say.“The public comment period has been a complete sham,” Anderson said in a recent interview, “because there’s been so little information available for the public.”The short answer is maybe. The long answer, spelled out below, explains the how and why.
Henderson’s office wouldn’t specify if the proposed sales tax would fall under state code as a tax that the council could refer to voters., R-Riverton, to see if that was his intention when he crafted the legislation that allowed for the arena district negotiations. McCay did not respond to a request for comment.
First, within seven days of the council’s decision, five sponsors would have to submit a referendum application to the city clerk. The city would then have 20 days to analyze the application and determine if the referendum can legally be referred to voters. If the parties don’t reach a deal, and the issue is determined by the government as ballot-worthy, the process could move forward.