(KCPW News) After his last parks bond was rejected by Republicans on the county council, Salt Lake County Mayor Corroon is proposing a new bond measure, still hoping to fix up existing parks and develop new ones in fast-growing areas of the valley. Salt Lake County Community Services Director Erin Litvack says the new proposal is a little over one third of the cost of the bond voted down in June.
“This bond that we are proposing now is about $47 million, and it focuses on two large trail systems and then also developing parcels directly related to the parcels that were acquired through the 2006 open space bond for park development purposes,” she tells KCPW.
Litvack says there’s no better time for the county to take advantage of low interest rates and construction costs. But Republican Councilman Steve Debry, who voted against the first proposal in June, says he’s still wary of the new plan.
“I still feel pretty much the same way about it. I mean the economy is very sluggish and it smacks of a tax increase, so I don’t think it really should be on the ballot, but I really haven’t made up my mind yet. I am studying it intensely and we’re looking at it,” he says.
If the council votes to approve the bond measure, it will go to voters in November. That would result in a tax increase of five dollars a year for the average homeowner in Salt Lake County. The bond will be discussed at tomorrow’s county council meeting.
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