In a 4-1 vote Tuesday night, the Park City Council approved a resolution that will put a bond on the November ballot to fund recreation projects.
Projects the bond would fund include a MARC expansion and a new sports complex in Quinn’s Junction featuring indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, a Nordic skiing area, and an outdoor ice rink.
Becca Gerber was the only councilmember who voted against the bond.
“My primary concerns are, how does this bond address our issues that our community is grappling with right now: affordability, housing, child care, diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility,” Gerber said. “This money really will go to address nice-to-haves in our community — amenities. And over time, as our community continues to add additional amenities, it increases our property values.”
Comments in favor of more pickleball courts have been omnipresent at council meetings in recent months, and there have also been voices in support of the other projects.
At a meeting in June 2023, National Hockey League veteran and local Jack Skille said there is a need for a new ice sheet given the population growth in the area since the ice arena opened in 2006.
“What I've learned as a pro athlete and a coach, mostly as a coach recently in recent years, is you can't force the athlete to adapt to you,” Skille said. “You have to adapt to the athletes. So in this case, we have this tremendous amount of growth. I think it's time that we adapt to that growth and serve the people in need.”
If voters approve the bond, a primary homeowner with an assessed value of $2.3 million would pay $137 annually over a maximum of 20 years. Businesses and second homeowners would pay around $250 per year.
Budget staffers with the city said the new tax load for Park City homeowners would be minimal overall.
The council initially considered including a new City Park summer camp building and MARC aquatics improvements on the bond, which would have raised the cost for residents. But it decided to move forward with those projects using existing city funds.
In October, a voter information pamphlet about the bond proposal will be mailed to 84060 addresses, which will include the estimated property tax impact.
A public meeting will be held before the election to allow those for and against the bond to share their input. Election Day is Nov. 23. Mail-in ballots are expected to go out three weeks in advance.
