Stansbury Park residents had their first opportunity to have their voices heard as they review a feasibility study to determine if the community should incorporate as a city.
Nearly 100 residents attended the first of two public hearings Tuesday night in Stansbury High School’s auditorium. Representatives from Tooele County and Lewis Young Robertson & Burningham, the firm that completed the feasibility study, were on hand to answer questions.
The study, which was released in December, concluded incorporating Stansbury Park as a city is feasible. Projections in the study also concluded residents would pay the same amount in property taxes in 2019 as they would remaining unincorporated with the same level of services.
Residents of Stansbury Park raised concerns about the number of commercial businesses, start-up costs for establishing a new government and the accuracy of property tax projections.
Wade Hadlock, who sponsored the incorporation study petition, said the primary benefit to making Stansbury Park a city will be local control. Cody Deeter, vice-president for Lewis Young Robertson & Burningham, also highlighted local control as a key benefit for future economic development and government spending in the community.
“We can represent ourselves,” Hadlock said. “We’re not at the mercy of other communities to make our decisions.”
Stansbury Park resident Brenda Spearman asked Deeter if Stansbury Park would have more commercial opportunities with a city government.
“With a local government that was wooing businesses…we could go after office parks and stuff like that,” Spearman said. “It looks a little bit better than a strip mall that might have half of the stores empty.”
Stansbury Park resident Stephen Nelson said he’s cautiously in favor of incorporation, but questioned the feasibility of creating a stronger commercial tax base.
“What is the feasibility of Stansbury Park being able…to attract a business base?” he said.
Deeter said population, wealth, traffic counts and education levels of the community will determine how successful it would be to attract retail and commercial properties.
“It is viable,” Deeter said. “It does help to a have a vision and an active economic development director.”
One big reason why residents want a stronger commercial base is its effect on their tax rate. A primary residence is taxed based upon 55 percent of its assessed value, but secondary residential and commercial properties are taxed at the full property assessment.
Tooele County Commissioner Shawn Milne said Stansbury Park residents will need to change their shopping habits to attract more commercial and retail development in the county.
“A lot of Stansbury Park residents go out to 5600 West,” he said. “We shoot ourselves in the foot when we do that.”
The sales tax generated in Salt Lake County ends up helping local governments there and improving the property valuation in those communities, Milne said.
Despite the challenges, Stansbury Park resident James White said he believes it’s time for the community to incorporate and take control of its future.
“I see us grow and we have great development,” he said. “I do believe we’re in the next phase of our growth as a community.”
A second public hearing to discuss the feasibility study will be held on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. in Rose Springs Elementary School. The school is located at 5349 N. Insbrook in Stansbury Park.
showe@tooeletranscript.com