Millcreek voters will weigh in on a $128 million countywide recreation bond on Tuesday, Nov. 3, after the Salt Lake County Council raised the price tag by 28% at its Wednesday, Aug. 19 meeting.

The council voted 7-1 to increase the 10-year general obligation bond from the $100 million it approved Aug. 4, adding roughly $25.7 million for a new West Jordan recreation center near Ron Wood Park and $3.1 million toward Salt Lake City's planned civic campus near Library Square. Councilman Carlos Moreno cast the lone dissenting vote, saying he had "big concerns about the process" of tacking on projects the county's Recreation Bond Advisory Board had not recommended.

Millcreek Mayor Lorin Palmer served as vice chair of that advisory board, which met through the summer to score and prioritize projects before forwarding its recommended list to the council. Palmer was elected to the role unanimously at the board's June 5 inaugural meeting, according to board minutes. He attended meetings June 5 and June 12, where members reviewed $160 million in deferred maintenance across county parks and recreation facilities.

The county says the bond will not raise property taxes because it replaces a 2016 bond that is being paid off. Salt Lake County has issued recreation bonds in 1997, 2006, 2012 and 2016.

The two council-added projects were not part of the advisory board's original recommendations. Council Chairwoman Aimee Winder Newton framed the added spending as an equity issue at the Aug. 19 meeting, saying the West Jordan center would provide equitable access to recreation on the valley's west side, as reported by the Deseret News.

Beyond the late additions, the bond includes $21 million for a new Union Park Recreation Center in Midvale with a pool, basketball court and indoor track, plus $10 million for Phase 1A of the Southwest Athletic Complex in Herriman. The advisory board structured its original $90 million proposal around three buckets: 40% for repair and maintenance, 30% for finishing existing projects and 30% for new development.

A majority of Salt Lake County voters must approve the bond for it to take effect. That includes Millcreek.

The county will hold a public meeting on the bond Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Salt Lake County Government Center. Residents can weigh in there or at the ballot box Nov. 3.