By late July, it seemed clear which issues were likely to dominate the fall political season in Summit County.
It was certain that the mayoral race in Park City would draw significant attention, along with the contest to fill two vacancies on the City Council. The Park City Board of Education, meanwhile, had been signaling for months that it planned to ask voters to open their pocketbooks for major facility improvements. And municipal races on the East Side were also taking shape.
In August, however, the Summit County Council opted to add its own item to the election-season spotlight. Just weeks after first broaching the idea, the elected officials voted to place a $50 million bond measure on the November ballot that would fund the preservation of open space and other environmental projects throughout the county. It would be the largest bond for land preservation ever approved in Summit County. And while there’s a long history of residents in the area supporting open space bonds — most recently, Park City voters in 2018 overwhelmingly backed a $48 million measure to fund the majority of the Treasure acquisition — this is the first time Summit County itself has pursued one.
That means voters beyond Park City and the Snyderville Basin will have a say in determining the fate of the bond, and it remains unclear whether East Side taxpayers will support footing the bill for land preservation with the same amount of enthusiasm residents on the West Side have shown over the years.
The county estimates the bond would increase property taxes $40 on a primary home worth $715,000, while second homeowners or businesses would pay $73.
East Side voters could ultimately be swayed by one specific assurance from the County Council. While the funding is not earmarked for specific land acquisitions, the elected officials have said they intend to use much of the money for East Side projects, from acquiring land to securing conservation easements that would extinguish development rights on certain acreage.
In light of that, along with the growth hitting their communities, voters in Coalville and the Kamas Valley may see the bond as a prime opportunity to preserve large swaths of land before they’re turned into housing developments.
Alternatively, voters could find the dollar figure attached to the bond tough to swallow — even on the West Side, where another taxing entity, the Park City School District, is also proposing a significant tax increase.
Whichever way voters lean, the fate of the bond won’t be known until Election Day on Nov. 2.
County Councilor Chris Robinson, for one, believes the moment is right for the county to act. He told The Park Record in an August interview that time could be running out to preserve the open spaces that make this area such a special place.
“[T]here’s a lot going on, especially on the east side of the county,” he said. “… There’s a lot of development activity, and some of those important places will either not be around or be much more expensive in the future.”