Bond 3: Cemetery
The purpose of Bond 3 is to seek voter approval for the purchase of 6.5 acres of property in the immediate vicinity of the existing cemetery. Bond funds would cover both the purchase and the improvement of the property in order to supply an additional 6,500 burial spaces. At current projections, this would meet community needs for the next twenty years.
For the last sixteen years, cemetery sexton Ray Garrett has warned the City Council about the growth rate of the city and the limited land available at the cemetery. Even with the moratorium now in place on cemetery plots, the remaining land is expected to last less than three years. Cemetery staff has indicated their embarrassment when they show families the plots that remain, because most are in undesirable locations. There is particular concern for the City's veterans who wish to be buried here in their hometown. The Veterans Memorial section has only a few plots left, and these are in highly undesirable locations.
For various reasons, the City has been previously unsuccessful in acquiring new cemetery grounds. For the most part, residents and landowners of the small tracts of land adjacent to the cemetery are unwilling to sell. The City attempted to convert the neighboring Filly and Pony park to cemetery use, but was deterred by vocal public outcry. The large tracts of land that exist south of I-15 are unsuitable because of the high water table there. The City made a petition to the governor and the legislature to purchase lands north of the Developmental Center, but the request fell on deaf ears.
When I first took office, I rated this problem as a "want" rather than a "need," but only because I have lived in places where cemeteries are provided by the private sector. In the intervening years, I have not only come to appreciate the desperate situation of the cemetery, but have also observed that Utah, for whatever reasons, relies on its local governments to provide cemeteries.
I am rating this bond, therefore, as a "need" instead of a "want," and I'm predicting that the voters will see it the same way.
Two contingencies: The land purchase will be contingent on a City-accepted appraisal of the property. Please note that ballot language says "up to 3.12 million." What this means is that the City will not pay more than this for the property purchase. If the property appraises low, the City can and will bond for less than that amount.
The land purchase is also contingent on the results of an engineering study. The purpose of the engineering study is to establish that the water table is low enough for cemetery use in light of a nearby spring. Results are expected to be favorable; however, I have been advised by City staff that the bond does include sufficient funds to remedy the situation if the water table is high. Again, the key words are "up to." If those funds are not needed, the City will not bond for them.
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If approved, Bond 3 would raise $3.12 million for the purposes described above. The bond would be repaid through a corresponding increase in property taxes. The increase to a $240,000 home would be approximately $27 per year. The increase to a $240,000 business would be approximately $49 per year.
Disclaimer: Articles posted at my blog are personal opinion. In posting this series on the bonds, I do not claim to speak for the City or the City Council. This blog does not represent any official position of American Fork City, and no City resources have ever been used to finance this blog.
For the last sixteen years, cemetery sexton Ray Garrett has warned the City Council about the growth rate of the city and the limited land available at the cemetery. Even with the moratorium now in place on cemetery plots, the remaining land is expected to last less than three years. Cemetery staff has indicated their embarrassment when they show families the plots that remain, because most are in undesirable locations. There is particular concern for the City's veterans who wish to be buried here in their hometown. The Veterans Memorial section has only a few plots left, and these are in highly undesirable locations.
For various reasons, the City has been previously unsuccessful in acquiring new cemetery grounds. For the most part, residents and landowners of the small tracts of land adjacent to the cemetery are unwilling to sell. The City attempted to convert the neighboring Filly and Pony park to cemetery use, but was deterred by vocal public outcry. The large tracts of land that exist south of I-15 are unsuitable because of the high water table there. The City made a petition to the governor and the legislature to purchase lands north of the Developmental Center, but the request fell on deaf ears.
When I first took office, I rated this problem as a "want" rather than a "need," but only because I have lived in places where cemeteries are provided by the private sector. In the intervening years, I have not only come to appreciate the desperate situation of the cemetery, but have also observed that Utah, for whatever reasons, relies on its local governments to provide cemeteries.
I am rating this bond, therefore, as a "need" instead of a "want," and I'm predicting that the voters will see it the same way.
Two contingencies: The land purchase will be contingent on a City-accepted appraisal of the property. Please note that ballot language says "up to 3.12 million." What this means is that the City will not pay more than this for the property purchase. If the property appraises low, the City can and will bond for less than that amount.
The land purchase is also contingent on the results of an engineering study. The purpose of the engineering study is to establish that the water table is low enough for cemetery use in light of a nearby spring. Results are expected to be favorable; however, I have been advised by City staff that the bond does include sufficient funds to remedy the situation if the water table is high. Again, the key words are "up to." If those funds are not needed, the City will not bond for them.
===============
If approved, Bond 3 would raise $3.12 million for the purposes described above. The bond would be repaid through a corresponding increase in property taxes. The increase to a $240,000 home would be approximately $27 per year. The increase to a $240,000 business would be approximately $49 per year.
Disclaimer: Articles posted at my blog are personal opinion. In posting this series on the bonds, I do not claim to speak for the City or the City Council. This blog does not represent any official position of American Fork City, and no City resources have ever been used to finance this blog.
posted by Heidi Rodeback at 10:40 PM
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