SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Spencer Cox this week unveiled a road map for his administration’s first 500 days, outlining six priorities drawn from promises made during his campaign and other priorities gleaned from his transition team.
More than 100 community leaders from across the state contributed to developing the 12-page document, which was drafted by Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson’s transition team.
The “One Utah Roadmap” focuses on six key priorities: economic advancement, education innovation and investment, rural matters, health security, equality and opportunity, and state government efficiency.
“We’re overwhelmed by the generous time and commitment offered by such accomplished experts and community-minded volunteers,” Cox said in a statement. “Like all well-used road maps, this One Utah Roadmap will be dog-eared and lovingly consulted over the next year and beyond.
“The road ahead will have detours, yield signs, fast and slow speeds, and bridges which we will navigate,” Cox said. “We can’t thank all those involved in the transition enough for offering their best ideas to improve the lives of all Utahns.”
Below are the six “strategic priorities and action items” detailed in the plan and some highlights from those action items:
Economic advancement
To “achieve economic success that lifts all of Utah,” Cox’s road map calls on state leaders to focus on talent development, strategic industry advancement, innovation and entrepreneurship, infrastructure investment, sustainable growth promotion, and fiscal responsibility.
As part of those priorities, the plan lists several goals, including:
- Adopt an official Utah economic development policy.
- Overhaul incentives to be more “targeted, strategic, flexible, measured, and transparent.”
- Develop an “innovation district” at Point of the Mountain.
- Complete a full regulatory review.
- Use national and international competitions like the Olympic Winter Games, the NBA-All Star Game, the World Fair and others to “continue Utah’s brand as an innovation leader.”
- Support enhancements for freight rail infrastructure, “including connecting rural Utah counties to the Wasatch Front.”
- Continue converting state fleets to zero- and low-emission vehicles and encourage private companies to adopt similar policies.
- Continue investing in electric vehicle charging stations.
- Deliver “high profile sustainability projects” like the Utah Inland Port Authority and Point of the Mountain.
- Lay the groundwork for creation of a “premier air quality/changing climate solutions laboratory” at Point of the Mountain.
- Repeal Social Security tax for lower-income earners.
Education innovation and investment
To ensure “every Utah child receives a high-quality education,” Cox’s administration’s road map states leaders can do so by increasing education funding, prioritizing early learning, recruiting and retaining “highly effective” teachers, providing “every child with equitable opportunities and resources,” making postsecondary education the “norm for every Utahn,” and governing for student achievement.
The goals listed in Cox’s plan to accomplish those priorities include:
- Evaluate funding for school construction to determine best use of limited funds.
- Expand access to optional extended-day kindergarten.
- Increase teacher pay so the state can attract, develop and support “highly effective” teachers.
- Train every teacher to use technology effectively.
- Build a more diverse teacher workforce, so more students have teachers with similar racial, cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
- “Bridge the digital divide” by ensuring internet access and computers are available in every Utah student’s home.
- Clarify roles, responsibilities and structure of the State School Board, the Utah Legislature, postsecondary institutions and local education agencies to promote “efficiency and clear accountability for student learning and teacher support.”
- Reduce government regulations on teachers.
Rural matters
To ensure rural Utah has “a voice in the economic future of Utah,” Cox’s road map calls on state leaders to focus on providing “more growth options for rural Utah,” invest in the state’s rural communities, and “build on rural Utah’s strengths.”
To get there, the goals listed in the plan include:
- Supporting “aggressive high-speed” broadband in rural Utah.
- Enhance rural tourism marketing.
- Support local control of tourism tax revenue.
- Invest in projects including the Lake Powell pipeline, the Bear River water project, the Utah Inland Port Authority and its rural satellite sites, electric vehicle charging stations, the Uintah Railway, the San Rafael Innovation Center, and the San Juan County water and transportation project.
- Develop state coal and petroleum reserve systems and a mineral reserve system.
- Prioritize agriculture and ranching to enhance Utah’s food self-sufficiency.
- Develop a One Utah Public Lands coordinating council that oversees and manages all aspects of Utah’s public lands utilization and stewardship.
- Oppose expansion of national monuments.
- Advocate for local management of Utah’s public lands.
- Develop a monitoring program to substantiate the sustainability of grazing programs and to protect grazing rights from litigation.
Health security
Cox’s plan states Utah’s health can be improved by combating COVID-19, “expanding health care access, reducing costs, increasing quality and focusing on social determinants of health.”
The goals listed in the plan include:
- Execute a vaccine strategy without delay.
- Hire and train more community health workers.
- Improve testing and messaging to combat hot spots and outbreaks in schools and vulnerable populations.
- Conduct a full review of the state’s COVID-19 response, with a focus on lessons learned and other changes to better prepare Utah for future pandemics and emergencies.
- Expand Telehealth, focusing on mental health and substance abuse.
- Increase transparency in health care cost and quality data.
- Create a statewide health equity.
Equality and opportunity
To ensure all Utahns “have an equal opportunity to prosper,” Cox’s roadmap calls on state leaders to “lead by example,” expand opportunities for people with “systematically less access to opportunity, including women, people of color and LGBTQIA+ individuals,” and make health care access a priority.
To accomplish those goals, the goals included in the plan include:
- Support the Utah Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Compact.
- Designate a equality and opportunity adviser.
- Designate a “diverse” group of Utahns for gubernatorially appointed positions, including boards and commissions.
- Increase investments in training and upskilling opportunities for women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ workers.
- Narrow the gender pay gap with new state employee policies and help “spur change” in the private sector.
- Encourage businesses to adopt “family-friendly and inclusive policies.”
- Support services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
- Ensure all Utah children have access to health insurance.
Streamline and modernize state government
To “upgrade Utah state government to be more efficient, innovative and responsive to residents,” Cox’s plan calls on state leaders to focus on structuring state government that “maximizes operational efficiencies and public services,” prioritize state employees and “innovate to improve.”
The goals listed in the plan include:
- Refine structures of departments and divisions.
- Require each department to prepare an action plan to improve “efficiency, productivity and customer service.”
- Analyze the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget for “structure and responsibilities.”
- Reexamine government work “in the context of widespread remote work.”
- Regularly survey state workers to assess job satisfaction.
- Embrace remote work to reduce environmental impact and create job opportunities across the state.
- Designate a “chief innovation officer” to help “modernize” the state’s government.
Cox’s transition executive team included co-chairwoman Lynne Ward, former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Olene Walker; co-chairman Steve Starks, CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies; Natalie Gochnour, director of the Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah; Rich McKeown, co-founder of Leavitt Partners; and Austin Cox, campaign manager of the Cox-Henderson campaign.