Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski told residents on Aug. 20 that the $30 million Crescent View Middle School bond question heading to the Nov. 3 ballot is their call, not city hall's.

In a public statement posted to the city's website, Zoltanski laid out the stakes: the 17-acre former middle school at 11150 Vista Way will either become private housing or remain as community green space, and Sandy voters will decide which path the property takes.

The statement is the mayor's first direct address to residents since the City Council voted 6-1 on Aug. 11 to place the general obligation bond on the ballot. Council member Kris Nicholl cast the lone no vote after initial motions for both a $30 million and a $21 million bond failed 3-4 before a recess and reconsideration.

What the bond covers

The $30 million figure is a ceiling, Zoltanski emphasized. The actual purchase price is $17 million, with any remaining funds reserved for future improvements to be decided later. The bond covers capital costs only, not ongoing maintenance.

City appraisals came in below $17 million, but competing offers from private developers to Canyons School District set the market price, according to the mayor's statement. Sale proceeds would go toward the district's educational mission, including a new technology and innovation center.

At the council's Aug. 4 meeting, finance staff estimated a $30 million bond would cost the average Sandy homeowner about $60 per year, according to council records. A $21 million bond would run about $42 per year.

Two paths for the property

Zoltanski outlined both sides. Private development could bring new homes and additional property tax revenue. Keeping the site as community space could preserve green space and create room for recreation, arts, culture and a potential civic center.

A city survey of nearly 1,000 respondents found 60 percent strongly supported buying the property, Building Salt Lake reported.

The mayor also addressed a question she said she hears often: whether taxpayers already paid for the school. Crescent View was built about 46 years ago as part of a system serving communities across the south valley, she wrote, not solely by Sandy residents.

Public process ahead

"Public input brought us to this point, and now the decision belongs to you–the Sandy voter," Zoltanski wrote in the statement.

At the Aug. 11 meeting, District 3 resident Diane Nicholson urged the council to let voters decide. "We have watched Sandy change. ... We are running out of green space," Nicholson said. "Give the voters the choice."

A public hearing on the bond is scheduled for Sept. 22, and a voter information pamphlet will be mailed to Sandy households before the Nov. 3 election.