Voters in Salt Lake City overwhelmingly favored taking on $85 million in new debt for parks, trails and open space.
According to unofficial returns Wednesday at 2:07 a.m., nearly 7 in 10 (about 69%) of city voters backed the measure. Roughly 31% cast ballots against it.
The proposal will infuse money into open space across the city, including $27 million to create Glendale Regional Park — a Liberty Park of sorts for the west side — at the site of the shuttered Raging Waters amusement park.
The rest will be spread across improvements along the Jordan River, Allen Park upgrades, yet-to-be-determined projects in each of the city’s seven council districts, developing green space at the Fleet Block in the Granary District, replacing the playground at Liberty Park, upgrading Fairmont Park, completing the Folsom Trail, and covering unexpected expenses.
Under the plan, property taxes on the median-priced home of $576,000 would go up by about $54 a year. Depending on market conditions, if the bonds are issued in two or more installments, it’s possible they may not result in any net increase to the existing property tax burden.
Blake joined The Tribune in March 2022 to cover city and county government before becoming an editor in 2024. He is a University of Minnesota graduate who started his journalism career in Las Vegas, where he covered local government, state politics and the depletion of the Colorado River. He is dad to a Golden Retriever named Woodward.