My Vote to Move the Draper Prison to SLC

Today I voted to move the ailing Draper prison to a new site in Salt Lake City.  Critics of the move have cited costs and implied cronyism in liquidating state owned property.  Lets clear the air on the facts of the situation.

The effort to understand the best interest of the taxpayer in moving the prison has been ongoing for the past four years.  When the original proposal to sell the prison site came up in 2011, the process dictated by the laws only allowed for a 90-day request-for-proposal from contractors.  With such a large site and important impacts for Utah moving forward, the Legislature decided to create a Commission to study the issue and make sure the State was making the wisest choice possible.  This commission was called the Prison Relocation and Development Authority (PRADA).

Rep. Brad Wilson presents the resolution to move the Draper prison to Salt Lake City

PRADA was tasked with contracting with architects, geologists, and other specialists in analyzing all the impacts associated with rebuilding or moving the Draper prison.  The study was exhaustive.  Two years ago, after preliminary reports came to the Legislature, we voted to move the prison to a future site which was to be determined.  At that time there were about 50 sites being considered.

Ultimately, that long list was winnowed down to 5 sites.  After final deliberation and analysis, the Salt Lake City site was chosen as the best long term value to the taxpayer when considering construction costs and operation costs over the 50 year life of the site.

Here is the information that helped inform my vote:

Why Not Draper

Comparative Cost

Comparative Evaluation Matrix V16 Final 8-10-15

Passage of the bill was not without drama.  Rep. Fred Cox attemped to substitute the bill with his own version that keeps the prison at the Draper site.

There was little support for that on the floor.  Another substitute was offered to override Rep. Cox's substitute.  The vote to override Rep. Cox's substitute passed with his being the only dissenting vote.

Debate on the bill was emotional and passionate.  Ultimately the bill passed with a vote of 62-12.

Spending Your Tax Dollars on Education

The Utah Taxpayer Association recently published data on Utah's 41 school districts and how they spent tax dollars for the last fiscal year.

Here is their report:

2015 Utah School Spending Report - Utah Taxpayer Association

There is some really interesting information in this report.  I wanted to take a look at Ogden and Weber School Districts specifically to see how they compared to the state average.  Here are some charts I created from the data:

Lets take a look at spending per student in various categories.  Instruction costs are less in Ogden School District compared to Weber School District and the State Average.  Yet, media costs are significantly more.  Ogden SD has higher student support costs while Weber has higher student transport costs.  Facility construction is extremely low for Ogden SD and high for Weber SD.  Ogden SD also has much higher nutrition expenses.

These data sets aren't very surprising given that Ogden School District serves a very old urban center while Weber School District serves an area that is still growing in population and suburban sprawl.  I believe the spike in media spending in Ogden SD may be representative of the technology focus on ESL and improved learning.  Ogden SD has been involved in a very rigorous program focused on enhancing student achievement. You can read more about the results of that program.

Both Weber SD and Ogden SD pay higher than the average wage for teachers in Utah.  Kudos to them for doing so.

Finally, here is the total spent per pupil.  Weber School District mirrors the state average closely while Ogden School District spends significantly more.  

A special thanks to the Taxpayer Association for gathering and publishing this data in a format that is comprehensible.  For policymakers like myself, this is very helpful information.