Franson: "No Decision Yet" But Actions Contradict

At the Highland City Council meeting held on February 17, 2009, Mayor Jay Franson was very careful to inform the attendees that a decision regarding the creation of a proposed bond of $5 million to fund repair of existing roads and the potential construction of new roads had not yet been made by our elected officials. During the comments that were made during the public appearances, there was a lot of comment regarding the inadvisability of entering into further debt at this time.

I heard no favorable comments regarding further indebtedness. Toward the end of the public appearances I made the following comments amplified somewhat by the reasoning behind them:

1) In spite of the assurances that no formal decisions on the bond had been made, we were aware of public statements regarding the creation of an east-west connector road to be referred to as the Murdock Connector which would be funded by the proposed fund.

2)That my particular neighborhood had felt "hoodwinked" as two homeowners in our subdivision had been approached by the mayor and informed that their homes and properties were to be acquired by the city in an eminent domain action to make way for this connection through the southern portion of our subdivision and that acquisition would also entail encroachment on a park owned by our homeowners association.

3) That an east-west connector road had previously been proposed approximately five years ago and had then been dismissed as unnecessary secondary to the poor development of 4800 West as a collector route. Additionally, the residents of the western portions of Highland no longer needed access to Lone Peak High School on the east, they having been diverted to American Fork High School on the south.

4) Referring to an earlier comment that sales tax revenues had suffered with the building of the Smith's Marketplace to our west, creating a direct access to the new Walmart currently being constructed in Cedar Hills might add the final nail in the coffin to Kohler's potential future non-viability and lead to further loss of city revenues.

5) That Central Park in the middle of Manhattan represented one example of a decision to allow an "inconvenience" in traffic access to trump the needs of a quick commute in favor of attractive green space.

6) That prior to inviting further debt for new road construction, the citizens of Highland and its elected officials should once again revisit the need for an east-west connector that seems to offer nothing to the citizens of Highland either now or in the future, but perhaps a great convenience at our expense to our neighboring cities who will not be traveling anywhere near our designated commercial developments as they add further wear and tear to roads we will build and have to maintain perhaps without their participation.

Inasmuch as the city council has not yet made a decision and that further input will be solicited by a meeting to be properly announced and scheduled in about a month, I would encourage the citizens of our fair city to truly ponder the need for the Murdock Connector. Let's maintain the roads we have where a clear need has been established and forgo debt where no need exists.