Slice up dining tax for track?

PAYSON — Hey, horse enthusiasts.

It may be in your best interest to take your spouse to dinner.

Order steak and lobster. Don't forget dessert.

It will appear thoughtful. And, in the end, a chunk of the bill for dinner at a Utah County restaurant could be spent on the construction of a new place in south Utah County to exercise your steeds.

Some officials in cities from Springville to Goshen are pressuring the Utah County Commission to pay for a new regional equestrian park with money collected through a county restaurant sales tax.

Such a park would serve as a replacement for Payson Downs, a horse racing track Payson leaders razed a year ago to make way for more baseball parks.

Spanish Fork, which has a fairpark with a large rodeo grounds, is the other city in south Utah County with a large horseback riding complex. Spanish Fork's mayor opposes the proposal, largely because that city already has a rodeo grounds and arena.

"We'd just like to see some of the (restaurant tax) money get spent down here," said Salem Mayor Randy Brailsford.

Last year, $2.95 million in restaurant sales taxes was collected by Utah County government. This year through July $1.24 million has been collected, according to county records.

Brailsford said it's not hard to calculate the amount of money from the restaurant sales tax recently spent on projects in south Utah County: Zero.

In the past several years, restaurant sales tax money paid for Provo's Peaks Ice Arena that served as a venue during the 2002 Winter Games. Before that, the tax money funded the David O. McKay Events Center at Utah Valley State College and just recently an equestrian park near Highland and American Fork.

The park, completed last year, also was paid for with state grants and money from cities in north Utah County.

Utah County Commissioner Steve White says the commission, which oversees how county tax money is spent, has not given a thumbs-up — or down — to the proposal to use restaurant sales tax money for a new horseback riding complex.

"There is no official proposal yet," White said. "We're just at the discussion stage."

To gauge public opinion, a handful of cities are conducting unscientific surveys. For example, Salem residents can send in their comments on the proposed equestrian center when they pay their utility bills.

Woodland Hills folks will receive questionnaires in their water bill. Write-in suggestions for city projects also will be considered.

Mapleton asked residents in its monthly newsletter to respond to City Call with their thoughts on the proposal.

Responses will be compiled and reviewed this month. White will meet with the 10 mayors to further discuss the proposal.

---

E-mail: rodger@desnews.com