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Residents press council to fund wildfire mitigation, traffic calming and trail expansion during FY26 budget hearing
Summary
At the council’s first FY26 budget public hearing, residents urged shifting funds away from a proposed downtown green-loop project toward wildfire mitigation in the Foothill Natural Area, and pressed for neighborhood traffic calming, trail expansion and protections for mature urban trees.
Dozens of residents and neighborhood representatives used the council’s first FY26 budget public hearing to press the city to shift priorities toward wildfire mitigation, neighborhood traffic calming, trail expansion and tree preservation.
Speakers during the consolidated hearing for budget ordinances G6–G20 included neighborhood residents, parents, students and community council representatives. Ian McCubbin asked the council to move $3 million proposed for a downtown “green loop” into a community wildfire protection plan and infrastructure for the 6,000-acre Foothill Natural Area and City Creek fireshed, citing high fire risk and heavy year-round trail use. McCubbin called attention to emergency-vehicle access and parking problems at Foothill trailheads.
Multiple residents urged traffic-calming measures. Nathan Peters and Samuel Rowan described neighborhood proposals to install speed bumps on residential streets where motorists frequently speed; several commenters said children and families would benefit. Kim Paturro asked the council to reconsider a denied CIP application (Sugar House Safe Side Street North Extension) and provided unit counts for surrounding development. Gary Tedesco, representing long-time University-area residents, urged traffic calming and installation of traffic circles and raised crosswalks at intersections he named and referenced the city’s Vision Zero commitment.
Trail users and youth asked the city to resume expansion of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and to invest in safe, maintained trails. Robbie Reber, Jane Anderson and Ada Scanche — all students and mountain-bike team members — said improved trail access would give young people safer places to bike and recreate. Josh Quigley, a board member of the East Central Community Council, urged funding for a modified 1200 East island reconstruction to protect mature trees and prevent repeated damage to irrigation and newly planted trees; he said the curb replacement was a cost-effective way to preserve the urban canopy. Peter Caroon requested reconsideration of a Main-and-Broadway shade project budgeted at $230,600.
Other public comments included a call from Elizabeth Barrows to prioritize community-led park activation over investment in permanent surveillance cameras; she said community presence and programs are more effective at increasing safety than fixed camera installations. Joseph Murphy, speaking as a private citizen with CDCIP board experience, recommended the council consider apportioning CIP funds so smaller neighborhood projects are not directly pitted against large capital items.
Councilmembers closed the public hearing and referred G6–G20 to a new public hearing on June 3; no final budget votes were taken on the ordinances at this meeting. Staff emphasized that departments had discussed proposed budgets in work sessions earlier in May and that those recordings and reports are available online for residents seeking more detail.
