Highland Residents Protest Road Bond

Caleb Warnock - DAILY HERALD

Highland City Council members got an earful on Tuesday night from residents unhappy about a proposed road bond. Confusing, conflicting and clear as mud is what residents called the city's plans. City staffers said the council should borrow money because construction costs are falling.

About 100 people gathered for a public hearing, with 13 speaking against the proposed bond, and some of them speaking twice. No one spoke in favor. Protesters outside the meeting held banners reading, "No bond equals no debt."

No vote was taken on Tuesday. Mayor Jay Franson said it could be a month or more before the council votes on the issue.

The council was taken to task by residents for clear-as-mud double-speak about even the simplest information -- how much the council would like to borrow, and exactly what it would be used for.

"It makes us feel like you are not being honest or open," said one resident. Another said the city had hoodwinked residents.

"I could get into a long dialogue there but I am not going to tonight," responded Mayor Franson.
Franson parlayed with residents one by one and took the brunt of residents' displeasure. At one point Franson gestured to the council, protesting that he as mayor will not even get to vote on the proposal and that council members are the ones who need to hear residents' opinions.

Residents said the city's logic for going into debt during an economic crisis did not hold up, and that the country was in the financial mess it's in because "people have been living on credit. We have forgotten how to save."

Not only should the city wait, and avoid going into debt now, but any large debt for roads should be put to a public vote, residents said repeatedly. In addition, the roads the city proposes to spend money on would actually lead to Wal-Mart in Cedar Hills and Smith's in Lehi, further draining sales tax from Highland.

When pressed by residents about why the city doesn't simply put the matter to a vote of residents, the mayor said a vote would cost money. That response brought audible laughter from the audience. Someone asked if it would cost $1 million, a reference to city staff saying that borrowing $3.3 million for roads would cost Highland almost $900,000 in interest alone over a decade.

During the course of Tuesday's meeting, Mayor Franson added confusion to the issue by using a variety of sums. The council has already voted to begin the process of borrowing up to $5 million. If the city were to make those debt payments using just state road funds, the city would only be able to borrow $3.3 million. Franson then told residents that council members could opt to borrow $1.2 million to pay for maintenance only, and then later he said if residents forced a vote, the city could put $16 million on the ballot because that is the total amount of work currently needed in the city on roads.

Residents also said Tuesday's explanation of where the money would be spent was different from an explanation written by the mayor in a recent city newsletter. Franson responded by saying that what he wrote in the newsletter was simply "options."

Franson later apologized for the confusion, though he was pointed in saying he did not know if the confusion was the city's fault.

"We did not purposefully try to create the misconfusion, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen," he said.

After more than an hour of public comment, Councilman Brian Braithwaite said it had become clear to him that residents were not happy because the city was not being clear about how much the city wants to borrow or what it would be used on.

The city should release a list of road priorities, he said. Councilwoman Kathryn Schramm agreed.
Franson said the city would communicate road priorities and costs to residents in upcoming weeks, possibly in the city newsletter.