Voters to decide on rec bonds

FARMINGTON — Davis County voters will decide Aug. 3 if a new recreation district officially organized Tuesday will have authority to sell $18.4 million in general obligation bonds.

Five cities in south Davis County — North Salt Lake, Woods Cross, Bountiful, West Bountiful and Centerville — have formed the South Davis Recreation District. Bountiful City Manager Tom Hardy, one of the movers behind the creation of the district, told county commissioners Tuesday that each of the cities will appoint a representative to the administrative control board initially.

He expects names to be announced by July 13. County commissioners will appoint three representatives to the board.

County clerk/auditor Steve Rawlings noted that the five cities in the South Davis Recreation District will pick up the estimated $50,000 cost of the special election.

The sample ballot presented to the commission by Rawlings asks voters to vote either for the issuance of general obligation bonds and tax levies or to vote against the issuance of general obligation bonds and tax levies.

The full wording of the proposition asks voters to vote for or against issuing bonds due and payable in a time period not to exceed 22 years. It allows the district to levy a tax on all taxable property in an amount sufficient to retire the bonds and at a rate not to exceed .0002 per dollar of taxable value to pay operation and maintenance expenses.

Hardy said district officials estimated homeowners' annual tax payments to the district by taking the average home, valued at $180,000, and deducting the 45 percent homeowners' exemption, which gave an assessed valuation of $99,000. They multiplied the tax rate of .0002 per dollar against the taxable value and came up with a cost of about $40 per year. About half of that tax is debt service, and the other half goes for operation and maintenance.

In Davis County, residential homes are taxed at 55 percent of their market value. Therefore, for each $100,000 of taxable value, the tax would be $20. A home with a $100,000 taxable value has a market value of $181,818.

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