SALT LAKE CITY — New Utah Gov. Spencer Cox presented his first budget proposal Monday which focuses on pandemic relief and further developing rural infrastructure.
Cox, a Republican, stressed the importance of equity as he unveiled the proposed $21.7 billion budget from his administration’s new rural affairs office at Southern Utah University in Cedar City. The proposal would allocate at least $250 million towards fighting the coronavirus pandemic and $125 million on rural infrastructure, including expanding broadband access and electric vehicle charging stations.
“It was critical that everyone in Utah felt like they were represented in this budget proposal and certainly rural is a big piece of that,” Cox told reporters during a virtual briefing.
The governor’s proposal will be considered by the Legislature during its upcoming session which will start next week.
