Why I Vote "No" on the Bond question

Carlton Bowen

AF City Council

No to higher taxes! 
No to more debt!

Vote NO on the Bond!

Hi.  My name is Carlton Bowen.  I'm a candidate for American Fork City Council.  We live in a great city, and I want to keep American Fork City great.  I believe the things the city should do, such as water, roads, police, fire, parks, etc., the city should do well, and I envision a city with good roads and well maintained facilities.  I also envision a city with low taxes and eventually no debt.

When I first filed to run for City Council, I didn't know there was a plan to borrow 20 million dollars more and to raise property taxes through a bond issue.  When I learned of the bond, I wondered how much the city already owed.  I discovered the city already owes over 56 million dollars!  This is a lot of debt for a city the size of American Fork.  If the bond is approved, that will add 20 million dollars more debt, a 35% increase in the debt burden on our tax payers. 

Next, I wondered if the bond included a tax increase.  I was saddened to discover there was indeed a property tax increase associated with the bond.  Our utility rates have already increased substantially, and I know that to many families in our city, $100 or more in additional property taxes per year is another significant increase.

• Our City is already 56 million in debt 
• Our utility rates have already sky rocketed
• Property taxes will go up too if the bond passes

I'm concerned by the direction our city is going.  More than half of our current city debt was accumulated in just the last few years, and 20 million more debt now is a lot.  The higher rates and fees, combined with potentially higher property taxes now, is a disturbing trend.  Massive debt and high taxes is the wrong direction for our city to go!

Those who support the bond want you to think the only way to fund our road needs is to raise taxes and borrow millions, but that is simply not true.  The reason many of our roads are in horrible shape is because the city budget has neglected roads year after year.  We only budget about 1 million dollars a year for 100+ miles of roads, out of a 52 million dollar a year budget!  That's extremely low, and I propose adjusting the budget to make road maintenance a higher priority. 

Some argue there is no room in the budget for any higher road funding, but that's a cop out.  The reason we have an annual budget process is to set city priorities.  Is there really no room in a 52 million dollar budget to target even a little bit more for roads?  Allocating just a few percent more of the budget to roads would cover all the proposed bond projects, in just a few years, without raising taxes, and without increasing the city debt on taxpayers. 

• More debt and higher taxes is the wrong direction for our city to go! 
• The city budget hasn't adequately funded roads. 
• Making roads a higher priority in the budget is the right solution!

That small budget adjustment would also address the road problem long term, something the current short term bond proposal doesn't do.  Many residents may not realize the proposed 20 million dollar bond covers less than 15% of the roads the city says need to be urgently repaired.  What is the plan for the other 65% of the roads that also need urgent attention?  Do Bond supporters plan to just keep borrowing even more and raising taxes even more, every few years?  That is not a realistic or sustainable solution.  Increasing the percent of the budget spent on roads, by just a few percent, is a realistic and sustainable solution.  Also, the budget solution addresses the problem both in the short term and in the long term. 

I will work to make road maintenance a higher budget priority, without raising taxes and without borrowing.  Higher taxes and massive debt borrowing is the wrong direction for our city to go!  We need to decide now that we want a fiscally strong city, not a city burdened with heavy debt.  We need to decide now that we want a low tax environment, not a city with high taxes.  I want to keep our city great, by being fiscally responsible. 

•   The bond proposal covers less than 15% of identified road needs 
•   Always relying on more debt and higher taxes isn't sustainable long term 
•   Making roads a higher budget priority is the right solution

I wanted you to know why I, like many other American Fork City residents, vote "no" on the bond.

Sincerely,

Carlton Bowen

American Fork City Council candidate

P.S.  Some want you to believe there is just no room anywhere in the budget for more money for roads. They want you to believe higher taxes and even more debt are the only options.  But the obvious way to fund road needs, both now and in the future, is the way voters expect roads to be paid for-- through the regular budget process.

Bond supporters argue it will cost more in the future for roads if we don't borrow a ton now.  But that assumes nothing other than the bond can be done to address our road needs, which isn't true.  We can address our road needs both now and in the future, by increasing the amount of the budget that goes to roads, by just a few percent of our 52 million dollar budget. 

•   I oppose higher taxes 
•   I oppose more debt
•   I support adequately funding our roads by reprioritizing  existing budget funds