Midway voters could face a decision this November about whether to approve a new bond for the city to invest in conservation.
At the city council meeting Tuesday, July 16, Midway planner Katie Villani unveiled the results of a phone survey gauging residents’ interest in open space.
Conducted by Utah Valley University, the survey collected about 300 responses from Midway locals. Villani said an overwhelming majority would “probably” or “definitely” support a new open space bond.
“If you look those two columns on the right, that’s the people who are saying yes, that’s over 80%,” she said. “So that was pretty strongly in favor of that.”
The survey asked residents how likely they would be to support a new open space bond of $5 million, $7 million or $10 million.
A $5 million bond would cost taxpayers a little over $16 for every $100,000 of taxable value over the next 20 years. A $7 million bond would cost about $23, and a $10 million bond would cost $33.
About 80% of respondents said they would back a $5 million bond, and a majority also supported $7 million. Less than half were in support of a $10 million bond.
Villani said the survey indicates Midway residents are willing to invest in conservation.
“Residents have perceived a decline in open space over the past decade and view preservation as increasingly urgent,” she said.
Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson said she’s in favor of a $5 million bond.
“As much as I’d like to go more, I want to be respectful of the folks who were at the left of that graph,” she said. “I don’t think they were saying no because they didn’t want open space, but that they’re feeling the burden of increases in their annual taxes.”
Councilmembers were generally supportive of having residents vote on a $5 million to $7 million bond this November. To get it on the ballot, the city must finalize the resolution by Aug. 22.
If it moves forward, this would be the town’s second open space bond. Voters approved the first bond in 2018, and the city has dedicated $5 million to conservation easements in the past several years.
Councilmembers will make their final decision about putting a bond on the ballot at their Aug. 6 city council meeting.
