Voter turnout was light, but those who cast ballots Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a $15 million general bond for two major city improvements.
Most of the money raised by the bond - $10.5 million - will pay for a new City Hall/public safety building.The remainder will be used to cover most of the cost of a railroad overpass on 200 South. The Utah Department of Transportation has provided $1 million for the $5.5 million project; the rest will be paid for by the bond that voters approved. The railroad crossing has been designated the second-most dangerous in the state.
Besides eliminating the dangerous crossing, proponents of the bond said that the new overpass would open up the north end of the Freeport Center to business development.
A needs study for the city showed that Clearfield will need 61,000 square feet of building space in the next two decades - the proposed size of the new city complex. It will be built on the west side of the current City Hall, where the recreation department building stands. The old City Hall will be used for extra city offices.
The new building will also improve placement of police facilities, which are not well separated from the rest of the city complex. Officials have complained that prisoners could pose some danger to the public. And parking is considered inadequate at the existing City Hall.
City officials promised that passage of the bond will not cause tax increases. Instead, some of the city's extra sales tax, franchise tax, impact fees, property tax and business redevelopment tax will pay back the bond over the next 25 or 30 years.
Prior to being placed on the ballot, the bond won unanimous approval from the Clearfield City Council. Had the bond failed, city officials said they would seek a municipal bond, which costs more but does not require voter approval.
The bond passed with more than 79 percent of the vote.