VINEYARD, Utah — On Wednesday night, Vineyard city leaders moved to cancel a resolution for a $35 million bond parameter that was recently passed by the city.
City leaders planned for it to be a financing tool set to help build a new city hall, called the 'Vineyard Center.'
The public pushed back in recent weeks and started a referendum to put the issue on the ballot, saying they didn't have a chance to be heard.
Vineyard is one of Utah’s fastest-growing cities, but some of their growing pains are becoming more apparent.
“We are in crammed basements, shared offices,” said Mayor Julie Fullmer. “We’ve got our treasurer in the printer alcove.”
Fullmer explained that they want to make sure their essential services are getting to the people of Vineyard.
One council member, Sara Cameron, said the build will be two years out if they started this year.
When residents caught wind of the resolution's passage, they said many of them weren’t in town.
“The majority of the city… for young families, we were out traveling with our kids during Alpine School District Spring break,” Zack Stratton, the referendum sponsor, said.
He said they had lots of questions.
“Where exactly is this going to be? What’s the parcel number?” Stratton asked. “What’s this going to look like? Are the blueprints done? What’s the payment schedule going to look like?”
The mayor said Wednesday’s hearing was specifically set to get public input, but Stratton said many residents were already to the point where they feel they’re not being heard. So, he sponsored the referendum.
They needed 700 signatures by the middle of June. Stratton said they’re 85% of the way there already.
“Let’s make sure that our finances are exactly being given to us and projected to us,” Mayor Fullmer said before the meeting.
The concerned citizens of Vineyard want to have the final say on the issue.
“There are challenges with making sure we have appropriate growth," Stratton said.
“And we just want to make sure we’re making decisions prudently on issues that are this big that can affect our taxpayer dollars for decades to come.”
During Wednesday's hearing, council members said they want to move back into the planning phase on the project. They want to educate the public further on the work that's being done.
