Provo council adopts updated priorities for upcoming budget; enforcement, housing and pedestrian safety rise to top

The Provo City Council on Feb. 11 reviewed, revised and approved an updated list of policy priorities intended to guide the city’s budget and work plan for the coming fiscal year. After discussion with staff and administration the council voted 6–0 to approve the list.

Council executive director Justin Ayers presented a draft that condensed the council’s January scoring session into three top categories and accommodated feedback from council members. The group then discussed each item at length.

Housing/owner‑occupancy: Council members reinforced earlier direction to focus on owner‑occupancy and enforcement of rental standards. Councilors discussed acquiring software to help detect rental listings and cross‑reference county land records, and directed staff to issue an RFQ to identify established vendors. Administration estimated a vendor product could cost on the order of $10,000–$20,000; staff additionally described a less ambitious “scrubbing” product already under discussion with a vendor that focuses on long‑term rental listings.

Reimagining enforcement: Staff suggested operational and modest capital steps to boost enforcement productivity: deploying body cameras for code enforcement officers (estimated six units at roughly $400 each) and improving case documentation. Council discussed the potential safety and “force multiplier” benefits; staff said officers favored cameras and existing policies would continue to require backup police response when staff feel unsafe. The RFQ for data/scrubbing software was described as already being drafted.

Active transportation and pedestrian safety: Council members said they wanted sidewalks and safe routes to school prioritized. Staff and the mayor’s office outlined efforts to pursue grant matches and “shovel‑ready” projects to leverage outside funds; they also described a separate effort to pursue higher bike‑friendly accreditation and to leverage Olympic legacy funding where possible.

Employee retention/public safety staffing: Council asked administration to prioritize market studies and retention steps for public safety staff. Staff described pending market and compensation analyses and said recommendations would come forward in the next month or two; councilors signaled an interest in prioritizing retention and competitive pay where needed.

Financing land purchases: Council discussed using proceeds from city land sales to create a dedicated land‑acquisition fund to support workforce housing. Staff said sales typically go to the general fund unless council directs otherwise; staff agreed to produce a historical summary of recent land sale proceeds.

The council voted unanimously to adopt the updated, staff‑refined priorities and asked staff to return with RFQ documents, a summary of recent land sale proceeds, and public‑safety retention recommendations in roughly two weeks.