Council balks at matching county's $1.45 million Boat Harbor grant; budget assumes sales tax drop to $7.7 million
May 5, 2020, 4:00 p.m. · Held electronically (COVID-19 emergency)
Council members questioned spending about $700,000 in PARC tax and impact fees to match a $1.45 million Utah County tourism tax grant for the $2.9 million first phase of Boat Harbor improvements, saying residents rarely use the harbor; Clark Taylor agreed to take their concerns back to the PARC committee. Developer Buck Swaney defended shared parking for Lake City Row, and staff presented a fiscal 2021 General Fund cut to $22.7 million on an expected sales tax drop from $9 million to $7.7 million.
From the approved minutes.
Decisions at a glance
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Lake City Row memorandum of understanding | Discussed |
| PARC tax recommendations and Boat Harbor matching funds | Discussed |
| FY2021 General Fund and enterprise fund budgets | Discussed |
Agenda, item by item
Item 1 · Development
Lake City Row memorandum of understanding
Discussed
Legal counsel Cherylyn Egner said the MOU clarifies that the code's parking table governs the mixed-use project (about 1.8 spaces per unit acceptable to staff), with shared parking easements recorded for each commercial site. Developer Buck Swaney said the project will have 1.5 million square feet of commercial space next to Utah Valley Business Park, cited a 2019 Orem parking study, and said residential construction is tied to 25% of commercial space being approved. Taylor said similar projects south of State Street have overflowing street parking.
Item 2 · Parks
PARC tax recommendations and Boat Harbor matching funds
Discussed
Bird said Utah County's TRCC tourism tax grant covers 50% ($1.45 million) of the $2.9 million phase one Boat Harbor project, tied to a Utah Lake Commission plan for non-motorized recreation and the Lakeshore Trail; the rest would come from a Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant, in-kind work, impact fees and PARC tax. Taylor, Shelton, Carroll and Barnes questioned whether residents use the harbor and said the county should return tourism tax proportionately (Shelton cited $4.3 million to the Provo airport). Mayor Frost suggested scaling the project or seeking a three-year match. Taylor will ask the PARC committee to reconsider the $150,000 in PARC funds allocated.
- Grant$1.45 million to Utah County
- Budget$700,000
- Grant$500,000 to Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant
Item 3 · Budget
FY2021 General Fund and enterprise fund budgets
Discussed
Finance Officer Anna Montoya projected sales tax falling from about $9 million to $7.7 million and General Fund revenue from $24.64 million to $22.72 million, balanced with a $2 million transfer back from capital projects. Personnel is 73% of the budget; police adds two officers and two records clerks (hiring delayed three to six months), fire adds three firefighters and a battalion chief, public works adds a city engineer. Fitness Center subsidy rises 11.6% to $727,715; soccer refunds about $20,000. Storm drain budgets include 400 South and the 200 South project.
- Budget$22.7 million
- Budget$727,715