Initiative 1 may prompt a tax warning

Prescott said the breakdown of the $150 million has also made several Tax Review Commission members think twice about endorsing the initiative. The main concern, he said, is that $30 million of the bond is available for convention centers, recreation centers and other community projects.

Smith said the $30 million does not have to be spent on such buildings but is the maximum amount allotted to such projects. Cities that apply for part of the $30 million pot will still have to compete against conservation projects for funding, she said.

But Prescott questions whether taxpayers are aware that any money can go toward buildings, even though the bond is being sold as open space preservation.

"I'll bet that there aren't 3 percent of the people out there that know that 20 percent of this money is going towards buildings," he said. "Right out of the chute, that's bad policy."

Prescott said it also made him uncomfortable to dedicate all of the state's sales tax to conservation, a move he said will tie the Legislature's hands as Utah's economy fluctuates.

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