From the 2026 Utah Voter Guide, for the November 3, 2026 general election. Kept as published, with results added.
All 2026 items →Salt Lake County question
Salt Lake County Special Bond Election
Salt Lake County $128 Million Parks and Open Space Bond
Last updated
How Salt Lake County voted
Passed
Unofficial · as of November 4, 2026
Becomes official after the state canvass on November 23.
- Yes
- 60.8% · 148,098 votes
- No
- 39.2% · 95,343 votes
Needs more yes than no votes to pass. Source: election results (opens in a new tab)
In plain English
Salt Lake County wants to borrow up to $128 million to repair, finish, and build parks, trails, and recreation centers across the county, and because older bonds are being paid off, this wouldn't raise property tax rates. The money would fund 30 projects at 25 locations, including new recreation centers in West Jordan and Midvale, new trails and repairs at parks like Big Cottonwood, Dimple Dell, and Hunter Park, and upgrades like pool renovations, playgrounds, and sports courts spread across cities such as Murray, Sandy, Herriman, Taylorsville, and Magna.
A yes vote
A yes vote would let Salt Lake County borrow up to $128 million to repair, complete, and build parks, trails, and recreation facilities across the county, without raising the current property tax rate.
A no vote
A no vote would block the county from issuing these bonds, meaning the $128 million wouldn't be borrowed and these park, trail, and recreation projects wouldn't move forward this way.
How it reads on your ballot
Shall Salt Lake County, Utah, be authorized to issue general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $128,000,000 and to mature in no more than eleven (11) years from the date or dates of issuance of such bonds for the purpose of providing funds for repairing, completing, acquiring, constructing or renovating open space, natural habitat, parks, community trails and recreational facilities and other related facilities under the charge of the County and, to the extent necessary, for providing moneys for the refunding, at or prior to the maturity thereof, of general obligation bonds of the County authorized hereunder or heretofore issued and now outstanding?
PROPERTY TAX COST OF BONDS
A general obligation bond is a debt owed by the County. The County uses tax revenue to pay for the debt. If the bonds are issued as planned (which currently consists of 2 smaller issues of bonds totaling approximately $128,000,000 over the next 5 years, with each issue of bonds maturing approximately 10 years from the date it is issued), without regard to the taxes currently levied to pay outstanding bonds that will decrease over time, an annual property tax to pay debt service on the proposed bonds will be required over a period of 10 years in the estimated amount of $16.39 per year on a primary residence with the County average value of $658,000 and in the estimated amount of $29.80 per year on a business or secondary residence having the same value, which are equal to a monthly increase of $1.37 for an average residential property and $2.48 on a business property having the same value.
The County currently levies property taxes to pay debt service on other outstanding general obligation bonds that have been issued to finance voter approved projects. The incremental property taxes would decrease upon the repayment of the currently outstanding bonds, but the decrease may not occur if the proposed bonds are issued. Taking into account the repayment of the outstanding bonds, the County expects that the issuance of the proposed bonds, in the manner currently expected, will result in a net property tax increase of $0 per year on a primary residence with the County average value of $658,000 and a net property tax increase of $0 per year on a business or secondary residence having the same value, which are equal to a monthly increase of $0 for an average residential property and $0 on a business property having the same value.
The foregoing is only an estimate and is not a limit on the amount of taxes that the governing body may be required to levy in order to pay debt service on the bonds. The governing body is obligated to levy taxes to the extent provided by law in order to pay the bonds.
In addition to the bond payment costs as outlined above, based on current best estimates, the average annual combined net operational and maintenance costs for these facilities during their first ten years of operation is projected to require additional annual expenditures of $4,710,200. If approved, the county will determine during its next budget cycle whether additional operational and maintenance costs may or may not require any additional funds from budget cuts or a tax increase.