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American Fork may put massive tax increases before its residents for approval.
Council members cautioned that it is too early to know exactly what may go before voters, but said on Thursday that they would consider a property tax increase of up to 50 percent, plus millions more in bonds that would need to be approved by voters in November.
Facing a July 3 deadline, Council members said they are likely to tell county officials they would like to consider a property tax increase of around 50 percent, but the city could lower that number before being required to hold public hearings on the proposal in the fall.
In addition, the city must finalize before Aug. 1 what bonds it will ask residents to vote on in November, said city staff.
The property tax increase could be used to pay a total $3,300 stipend to Planning Commission members, $250,000 to dump used asphalt at the landfill, $59,000 to hire a parks employee, $17,000 to hire a part-time code-enforcement officer, $43,000 to hire a computer network technician for the library, $143,000 to renovate the public works building, $500,000 to repair roads, $274,000 to build Beehive Park Road, and $348,000 to build the Art Dye Trail. If the city doesn't finish the trail, it will be forced to refund $87,000 in federal grant money already spent on the project. Refunding the money would also make it extremely difficult for the city to ever get another federal trails grant, Council members said.
All that could hike property taxes on a $220,000 house from $248 to more than $385 per year, but that would be just the beginning.
Council members also said they may ask voters to decide whether or not to hike property taxes additionally to support a general obligation bond to fund various road and trail projects that, totaled, would hike taxes another $107 per year for a $220,000 home. The bond would bring in $2 million for 50 South, $4.4 million to build 900 West to 1120 North, $3.5 million for 560 West, $1.9 million to build 1120 North with a culvert instead of a bridge -- or $1.6 million to build a bridge on the road -- and $400,000 for speed mitigation. The bond would also provide $490,000 for the South Rail Trail, $1.2 million for River Trail and $70,000 for Center Street Trail.
In addition, the city may ask residents for a $3 million bond to buy land for a cemetery expansion or could simply raise cemetery rates to pay for that bond.
Another bond, costing about $12 per year on a $220,000 home, would raise $1.9 million to complete Art Dye Park, which Mayor Heber Thompson called "our famous unfinished park." The money would be used to install three playing fields, lighting, new scoreboards, four lighted tennis courts, and to repair existing facilities and build a $900,000 concessions building that would also have bathrooms and storage.
Finally, a fourth bond could be put before the public to bring in several hundred thousand dollars to expand parking at the city's fitness center.
Council members said they realized that in total this could be a large and bitter pill for voters to swallow, especially considering that property taxes were increased two years ago to pay for the pressurized irrigation system.
"My courage fails me," said Councilwoman Heidi Rodeback. "I can't take a 50-percent increase to the taxpayers this year. I just can't do that." Her comments came even before discussion of the four possible bonds had begun.
Councilman Dale Gunther said the public should decide whether to keep putting off the expenditures because there is not enough money in the city or raise taxes and take care of the expenses. He noted that the money to complete Art Dye Trail and to remodel the public works building would only be one-time expenses. Residents must keep in mind what has happened in the past when the city has put off critical expenses, he said. The city's pressurized irrigation system would have cost taxpayers $9.5 million in the mid-1990s, but ended up costing $47 million when it was finally started this summer.
"I think people need to know it is not going away," Gunther said of expenses. "It is going to cost more in spades, and I think we need to let people know what the deal is, and they can make a decision. ... I don't see the problem with putting three or even four [bond] choices on the ballot."
"Voters are not going to approve this number of items," Rodeback said. "A lot of them will say, "We elected you to make these decisions. Do your job.' "
"Don't make that decision for them," Gunther said.
"Think positive," said Councilwoman Sherry Kramer. |
