American Fork is considering upping its property tax rates, with up to a 50 percent increase. In addition, the City Council members may put several budget issues on the November ballot for voters to approve other increases.

Mayor Heber Thompson told the council members that they could determine to seek the entire amount, part of it, or none at all.

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. The 50 percent mark would increase an average residential property tax bill by about $11.50 a month.

Councilwoman Heidi Rodeback expressed reluctance.

"My courage fails me," she said. "I can't take a 50-percent increase to the taxpayers this year. I just can't do that."

Thompson asked the council members to prioritize some of the issues -- deciding if they were items that would achieve responsible city management, were underfunded critical city needs, or items that were nice to have, but not critical.

Following deliberation about each priority, the council selected the initial items.

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.

"We would also be on a black list," councilman Dale Gunther said.

Together the expenditures could hike property taxes on a $220,000 house from $248 to more than $385 per year, but that would be just the beginning. The city may also consider placing some items to be funded by general obligation bond on the November ballot for the voters to decide.

Road and trail projects, if they were also chosen, would increase taxes around $107 a year for a home with a $220,000 value. That would include $2 million for improvements to 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 there -- and $400,000 for speed mitigation. The bond would also provide $490,000 for the South Rail Trail, $1.2 million for the River Trail and $70,000 for the Center Street Trail.

Another bond, costing about $12 per year on a $220,000 home, would raise $1.9 million to complete Art Dye Park, which 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.

Some work has started at the park as part of a different project, with installation of drainage, curbing and sidewalks around parking area, play fields and other areas.

Another bond could be put before the voters for several hundred thousand dollars to expand parking at the city's fitness center.

Gunther said it was important to let the voters have a say in the items.

"I don't think we ought to be making the decisions," he said. "We should let the citizens make the choice."

He said if the city had put in its secondary water system in the 1990s, it would have cost around $9.5 million instead of the $47 million when we finally did it.

"I think people need to know that putting something off will not make them go away," he said. "Let the people know what the deal is. They can make a decision."

Rodeback was not as sure.

"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.

• Caleb Warnock contributed to this article.