Whether Alpine should bond for road construction and improvements will finally be decided Tuesday, Nov. 23, at the ballot box.
The bond for $1 million was originally scheduled for the municipal elections on Nov. 2 but had to be postponed to fit the public-notice requirement.Martha Beck has been the driving force behind the bond issue, which she feels is necessary for both transportation and safety needs.
The first priority is a road out of town in the southeast corner, she said. Beck administered an exit poll during the Nov. 2 elections, polling approximately 60 percent of Alpine's voters. The top three desired roads were all in the southeast section of town, she said.
Beck wants the city to bond for $1 million to build and improve Alpine roads. The bond would be repaid over 15 years with annual principal and interest payments totaling $102,963.
The bond would increase property taxes $2.14 a month on a $100,000 home; a $200,000 home would pay $4.27 more a month. Property taxes would account for one-third of the needed payments. State funds and impact fees would cover the other two-thirds.
Ben Shippen, a member of the Planning Commission, is opposed to the bond because it lacks specifics.
"I think you have to tell the people precisely what you're going to spend their money on," he said.
The problem with the bond proposal is that it presents 10 road projects but doesn't determine which one or ones will receive funding. Everyone will vote thinking the street they travel most will be the one getting worked on, Shippen said, and that is deceptive. The city has no plans for where to start work, he added.
Shippen opposes giving the city $1 million until it is more specific about how the money will be spent. He also believes developers should build most of the roads instead of residents footing the bill.
In addition, the opponents say there is $400,000 for infrastructure in its treasury that is going unused.
However, Mayor Don Chris-tian-sen said there is only $200,000 in that fund - $125,000 of it is designated for sidewalk work on 100 South and the remainder will go toward improvements in the areas where the impact fees were collected.
Beck said developers will still have to build roads within their subdivisions, but the bond money is needed, and it's needed now.
"It (the bond) will allow us to get some of the roads we need before developers block some of the roads we need," Beck said.
Now is also the best time to borrow money because interest rates are so low, Beck said. Waiting runs the risk of interest rates escalating from their present low, she said.
If the bond passes, the first work will be a road in the southeast corner of town connecting to U-92, Beck said. An extension to Country Manor Lane received 48 percent of the first- and second-place votes in the exit poll, followed by High Bench Road with 43 percent.
Beck said the roads are a safety issue, but Shippen disagreed. He said the problem areas, such as near the park on Main Street and near Burgess Park, are where the most accidents occur. No one has discussed those areas, he said.
Residents may vote at City Hall between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.