Salt Lake County voters OK a pair of initiatives

Salt Lake County voters late Tuesday were overwhelmingly voting in favor of two ballot propositions that would pay for the accelerated construction of new recreational facilities and swaths of open space across the valley.

With more than half of the vote counted, Proposition 1 had 68 percent, while Proposition 2 had captured 71 percent.

Proposition 1 allows the county to bond for $65 million in order to accelerate the construction and renovation of county recreational facilities. Taxes will not go up, as the Zoo Arts and Park tax is already being collected to pay for new recreation centers, baseball parks and trails, as well as face-lifts for aging buildings.

The County Council already approved $63 million in recreation projects back in June. They include new facilities such as Southwest Recreation Center, the Magna outdoor splash pad and the renovation of Copperview Community Center and Holladay-Lions Recreation Center.

Now, with voters' approval, the county will bond for that money to lock in construction costs in today's dollars and start building as soon as possible.

Proposition 2 is a property-tax increase that will raise $48 million to buy land for open space, regional parks and trails. Property taxes on a $200,000 home will go up $6.50 a year.

Half of the $48 million will be used to buy land for future community and regional parks, with the other $24 million going toward the purchase of land for open space and natural habitat preservation, as well as community trails.

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