Davis School District Not Backing South Davis Recreation Center After all

August 2nd, 2004

Re: South Davis Cities Recreation Center

Contact: Mike Jerman, Vice President, Utah Taxpayers Association 972-8814 (office), 808-8814 (cell)

Urgent: Voters May Cast Ballots Based on Misinformation

Davis School District Not Backing South Davis Recreation Center After all

On the eve of tomorrow’s bond election in south Davis County, the Utah Taxpayers Association has learned that Davis School District has NOT agreed to help fund the $23 million recreation center, contrary to claims made by recreation center proponents. Proponents of the extravagant recreation center have been claiming that Bountiful City and Davis School District had agreed to fund a combined $5 million for the recreation center. The remaining $18 million would be financed by bonds, if approved by voters.

Davis School District Superintendent Bryan Bowles (402-5258) contacted the taxpayers association this afternoon and indicated that the school district had never agreed to help finance the recreation center. Superintendent Bowles has been out of town for several weeks and was not aware of the claims being made until he arrived in town over the weekend.

Davis School District is proposing to increase property taxes by $1.3 million this month to fund a portion of Gov. Walker’s K-3 reading program.

The 2004 Utah Legislature passed legislation requiring all bond elections to be held in November or June. Bond elections in February, May, and August are prohibited effective November 2004. Tomorrow’s recreation center bond election in south Davis County will be the last bond election in Utah to be held in August. August special elections are notorious for low voter turnout, and the Legislature recognized that allowing a small group of special interests to impose taxes on 100% of taxpayers was bad public policy.