Letter: Millcreek fiscal analysis

Millcreek City proponents claim the 2011 feasibility study tax revenue projections are low and that more current data would indicate a higher sales tax. However, they waived the opportunity to officially update the study. Instead, they paid $5,000 for a 2012 fiscal analysis, which, unsurprisingly, predicted surplus revenue.

Proponents thus successfully bought the study results they needed and then claimed they prove the city is even more feasible than originally thought. However, their new analysis shows revenue-to-expense ratios that exceed the legal limit of 105 percent.

If the original study ratios had exceeded this legal limit, state law would have required the county to disqualify the petition. One wonders if proponents waived the opportunity to officially update the study so they could claim favorable revenue and technically skirt the 105 percent legal ceiling by keeping these results out of the official study. If so, there may be other clever maneuvers and tactics should Millcreek City come to be.

Gary Blake

Salt Lake City