COUNCIL
TO PLACE BOND ON BALLOT FOR FIRE STATION, EMERGENCY DISPATCH CENTER, POLICE AND
FIRE HEADQUARTERS, AND CITY HALL
PROVO,
Utah – August 8, 2018 – The Municipal Council voted unanimously Tuesday night
to hold a special bond election asking voters to authorize a $69,000,000 bond,
repayable over 20 years, "for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, and
equipping in the downtown area a new police and fire headquarters, emergency
dispatch center, and city hall; acquiring, constructing, and equipping a new
fire station to replace the fire station on Canyon Road; and providing for
related improvements in Provo City."
An
annual property tax to pay debt service on the proposed bonds will be required
over a period of 20 years in the estimated amount of $119.80 per year on a
$265,000 primary residence and in the estimated amount of $217.82 per year on a
business having the same value. $265,000 is the median home value in Provo.
The
bond will be on the ballot for the General Election set for Tuesday, November
6, 2018. Ballots will be mailed to registered
voters on October 16.
The
Municipal Council considered three options proposed by the Administration,
including (1) relocating to and renovating a former big box store at the Provo
Towne Center, (2) constructing a new police headquarters and renovating the
existing city center at the current location, or (3) building a new police and
fire headquarters, emergency dispatch center, and city hall. All three options
included replacement of Fire Station 2 on Canyon Road.
Provo’s
current City Center was constructed in 1972 when the City’s population and
police force were considerably smaller in number. The building does not meet
seismic standards that apply today and needs significant repairs. In the past
month, police, fire, and city officials have held open houses and conducted
tours of the facilities to demonstrate the need. Police and City officials
point to overcrowded and inadequate facilities as harmful to morale and makes
the attraction and retention of police officers more difficult.
With
such a critical decision before them, Council members looked to the public for
input. In addition to the tours and open houses, surveys, focus groups, phone
calls, meetings, and email all provided Provo residents with information and an
opportunity to ask questions and share their preferences.
“Our
research showed that when people understood the challenges at the current city
center where Provo’s police, fire, and city administration are located, and at
Fire Station 2, support for doing something to improve city facilities grew
remarkably” says Wayne Parker, Chief Administrative Officer.
“We
expected that people would prefer the lower cost option proposed at the mall.
However, from comments on Open City Hall
[the Council’s online civic engagement tool] and via email and other communications, we
learned that our residents’ civic pride rose to the top. Council members heard
again and again that if we do this, we should do it right, do it long term, and
do it downtown” said Cliff Strachan, the Municipal Council’s Executive
Director.
In
choosing the “build new, build downtown” option over a proposal from Brixton
Capital (owners of the Provo Towne Center Mall), Council members expressed
gratitude to Brixton representatives for the cooperation, efforts, and support
received from Brixton over several months. Council members are supportive of
Brixton’s investment in Provo.
The
City Council will hold a public hearing on September 25, 2018, for the
presentation of arguments for and against the ballot proposition and to present
information on the tax impact. Information will be released shortly regarding
the opportunity for eligible voters to submit an argument in favor of or
against the ballot proposition.
Information
regarding the bond election and proposed facilities will be updated regularly
on the Provo City website.
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Comment below (requires Google+ account), on our Facebook page, through our online comment form, or by contacting Council Members directly. Comments/input on items appearing on an upcoming meeting agenda will be compiled and provided to Council Members the day before the meeting. **Note - your comments will be part of the public record.
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