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PLEASANT GROVE — A heated debate over a proposed bond is headed to the ballot box next week, and residents voiced their concerns to city leaders Tuesday night. One man even raised allegations of harassment over the issue.
The bond is a proposal by the city to help raise nearly $12.7 million for a new public safety building. Firefighters say their station may not hold up in an earthquake, and police department officials say they need a larger space.
In recent weeks, the issue has become a heated topic in the Utah County town.
"I have never seen people so animated, excited, passionate and vocal," Sandy Carter, bond supporter, said Tuesday night.
Carter and other city residents vented their frustrations before a crowd so large the city council meeting had to be held in a gym.
“I’ve been told if I vote for this, I’m a socialist,” a Pleasant Grove resident told the city council.
Pat Holman claimed he's been harassed because of a comment he posted on the Facebook page Pleasant Grove Citizens. Publicly voicing his opinion, he said, resulted in a personal visit from off-duty firefighters wanting to confront him about it.
“They say, ‘I’m from the fire department. We’re offended,’ ” Holman told KSL News.
The comment that Holman said offended the firefighters questioned the motivation of somebody else's post. According to Holman, a man posted a good deed performed by the Pleasant Grove firefighters on the Pleasant Grove Citizens page. Holman posted a comment questioning the motivation of placing the post on a page created to deal with political issues in the city like the bond. The original post appears to have since been removed.
“That’s ridiculous to me,” Holman said, referring to the confrontation. “That doesn’t fly.”
However, Pleasant Grove Fire Chief Marc Sanderson said his guys simply meant to address Holman's concerns face-to-face. He posted an apology to Holman on the Facebook page.
“He felt that he was bullied by our firefighters, and so I completely apologized for him to feel that way, because that was certainly not the intent,” Sanderson said.
It's perhaps the most unusual skirmish in this “battle of the bond." But regardless of the outcome of the vote, Pleasant Grove Mayor Mike Daniels is calling on cooler heads to prevail.
“If your particular view loses, be gracious (in) losing,” Daniels said. “Let’s just be neighbors, and let’s try to focus on issues that we’re facing and move them down the road.”
The city council meeting wasn't the only meeting Tuesday night. A group called the Common Cents Coalition, which is against the bond, held a dueling meeting. It was more of a PowerPoint presentation and also drew a good-sized crowd.
Detailed information about the bond, including arguments for and against it's passage, can be reviewed here.
