Price of rec center derided

Calling the proposed South Davis Recreation Center in Bountiful and its $23 million price tag "extravagant," the Utah Taxpayers Association is urging a vote against it at the Aug. 3 bond election.

The South Davis Recreation District was approved last week by the Davis County Commission as a special service district to serve Bountiful, North Salt Lake, Woods Cross, West Bountiful and Centerville.

The recreation complex, to replace Bountiful's 30-year-old "bubble" swimming pool and ice rink, will include an Olympic-size ice sheet, two indoor swimming pools and a small pool and splash pad outside. Existing buildings on the site, in the north end of the Bountiful Park, 400 North and 200 West, would be demolished, and new buildings, including a three-court indoor basketball complex funded by the Davis School District, would be built.

City officials say the old facility is inadequate and costly to maintain. By joining together, the mayors of the five cities believe they can build a facility adequate to serve all the residents of the area.

Mike Jerman, vice president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, complains the project will put two new tax hikes on homes and businesses in the district: $44 annually for a home valued at $200,000, and $80 for a business valued at $200,000.

Jerman says taxpayers have at least six reasons to oppose the $18 million bond to build the complex, which also will receive $5 million from Bountiful and the Davis School District.

"Utah has pressing education and transportation needs that must be addressed," Jerman said. "Government spending must be prioritized. The state and local tax base must be utilized efficiently. Government must distinguish between the must-haves and the nice-to-haves."

Bountiful City Manager Tom Hardy said that could also be said of every park, ball field and everything else government provides to improve the quality of life.

"The same could be said of school gymnasiums," Hardy said. "The fact is we have a rich tradition in this state of providing facilities the public enjoys. If we were doing this by ourselves, this might be a valid point, but taxpayers have the opportunity to vote, so the people who will determine what the priorities are are the people who pay for it."

Utah's state and local tax burdens are already the seventh-highest in the nation, Jerman said. "Experience in the U.S. and throughout the world demonstrates that higher tax burdens lead to lower long-term economic growth."

Hardy countered, "Our tax burden right now is high because we have big families. Our tax rates are not high, but we have big families and it costs a lot to educate them."

Jerman points out that more state and local property taxes are on the way, including a recreation, arts and parks (RAP) tax that will increase annual sales taxes collected in the county by $3.2 million per year.

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E-mail: lweist@desnews.com