After bond fails, Sandy mayor defends process of putting issue to residents

SANDY — After a bond issue failed on Election Night by a narrow 51-48 margin, Sandy's mayor on Tuesday said she would have put the matter of potentially acquiring Crescent View Middle School to voters all over again.

"I didn't want our voters to find out after the fact — 'Gosh, we had this great opportunity, I wish I would have known about it, I would have supported it,' or, the alternative, that we purchased something without the support of our voters," Sandy City Mayor Monica Zoltanski said during an interview with KSL.

City leaders spread the word over the summer about the possible deal to purchase the school and 17-acre property from Canyons School District for $17 million.

Zoltanski said she believed the short timeframe to educate residents about the proposal presented challenges, as did economic "headwinds."

"Gas prices, tariffs, interest rates — we had a lot of economic pressures conspiring against taking on more debt," Zoltanski said. "Overall, it was a narrow decision. We came within striking distance. I, myself, supported it: $60 a year is what it would have added to my property taxes in Sandy, and I felt that was a very worthwhile investment."

The mayor said she believed one other issue factored in, which was the disparity between the purchase price of $17 million and the bond amount of $30 million.

"That was a decision made by our city council majority to set it at $30 million as a condition of being placed on the ballot," Zoltanski said. "I felt that was too high. I recommended $21 million, but that decision is with the city council, and I respect that."

Canyons School District spokesman Jeff Haney said the district will now re-engage with developers who had expressed interest in the property.

He said the district would not disclose who the interested parties are, or what a timeline might be for a transaction.

Zoltanski said she received pushback from some residents who questioned whether the city should have competed at the same price that private developers did for the property.

She said she planned to take up the issue with lawmakers to see if something might be able to be changed in the future.

"We share the same tax base, so I would like to create a preferred rate for cities so we're not competing against prime developer offers," Zoltanski said.

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