Sandy homeowners will pay about $17 a year into a $100 million Salt Lake County recreation bond that includes zero projects in their city.

The Salt Lake County Council voted 8-1 on Thursday, Aug. 6, to place the general obligation bond on the November ballot, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The measure grew from the $90 million advisory recommendation we reported July 22, when no Sandy-specific project appeared on the draft list. That hasn't changed.

Sandy falls within the county's Southeast planning area, and no Sandy official sits on the four-member Recreation Bond Advisory Board that shaped the project list.

What the bond pays for

The spending breaks into three buckets: roughly 40% (about $40 million) for maintenance of county recreation areas, 37% (about $37 million) for new projects and just under 25% to finish improvements already underway. The county faces approximately $160 million in deferred maintenance across its parks, recreation centers and cultural facilities, according to Parks and Recreation Director Chris Otto in June advisory board minutes.

The annual Tourism, Recreation, Cultural, and Convention fund covers only about $10 million per year across all county parks and arts assets, far short of capital needs.

No tax increase, but a catch

County spokesperson Eric Biggart said the bond "won't increase property taxes if approved by voters because it will be the same amount taxpayers approved for the same bond in 2016." For the average Salt Lake County homeowner with a house valued at $658,000, that means continuing to pay about $17 annually toward park projects.

The ballot measure authorizes the county to issue up to $100 million in bonds; the actual amount could be less.

The lone 'no' vote

Democrat Jiro Johnson, who represents most of Salt Lake City and portions of the valley's west side, cast the only dissenting vote. He said during the meeting that he wanted the council to add more funds for projects in West Jordan and Salt Lake City.

What's different from 2016

The county issued a $90 million recreation bond in 2016. About $59 million of that funded 11 new projects, and $31 million went to capital maintenance. This time, the dollar figure is slightly higher at $100 million, but construction inflation of 8–10% per year has significantly eroded purchasing power since then.

State statute requires Salt Lake County to hold an ownership interest in every project the bond funds, a rule that disqualified or complicated most external applications during the advisory process.

What happens next

Sandy voters will have their say on the bond in the November general election. The council had to submit the resolution to the county clerk by Aug. 11 to make the ballot, which drove the Aug. 6 vote.