In City Council meeting this past week, the American Fork City Council approved the disbursem*nt of the fiscal year 2023-2024 Parks, Arts, Recreation, and Culture (PARC) tax funds. The meeting, which began with Mayor Brad Frost highlighting the extensive review and consideration that goes into these decisions, saw several discussions that shaped the final allocation of funds based on recommendations from the PARC Tax Advisory Board.
Key Points of Discussion and Decisions
Alpine Community Theater Funding:
Councilmember Tim Holley raised concerns about the allocation of $14,000 to the Alpine Community Theater (ACT), noting its operations outside the city limits. Holley stated, “I feel others feel the same way that we probably don’t want to approve that disbursem*nt. So I would move to have that removed and reallocated or put into the pot. However, that’s done.” This sentiment was echoed by Councilmember Ryan Hunter, who emphasized, “If it’s not held within the city, I personally wouldn’t be in favor of funding those.” Despite the PARC Board’s recommendation for partial funding due to ACT’s ties to the community, the council decided against it.
Funding Principles:
Hunter also outlined key principles for funding, stressing the importance of supporting events and initiatives within American Fork and avoiding long-term funding for assets not owned by the city. “I struggle with funding things that are long-term assets that are not owned by the city,” said Hunter. “I’d rather fund the event, the sound, or the lighting, and then let fundraising happen for some of those other things.”
ForkFest/Concerts in the Park and Long-Term Funding
A significant discussion point was the funding for ForkFest and Concert in the Parks. Hunter expressed his reservations about continuing to allocate substantial funds to long-term events. “If we’re doing $100,000 every year for an event to happen, I don’t know that that’s like… I want to see that be a like, how can we take that money and then move that $100,000 to somebody else, while that program still continues to grow,” Hunter stated. He highlighted ForkFest as an example, noting that its funding had peaked at about $90,000 and suggesting a gradual reduction as the event becomes self-sustaining.
Councilmember Clark Taylor responded to Hunter’s comments about the ForkFest/Concerts in the Park funding by emphasizing the importance of maintaining high-quality events. “I understand Ryan’s concerns about the increased costs, but the level of entertainment has significantly improved,” Taylor said. “These concerts are packed every Monday night, and I believe the current funding is a worthwhile investment for our community.”
Steel Days Drone Show:
Conversely, there was unanimous support for increasing the funding for the Steel Days drone show, a popular event that drew thousands of attendees last year. After Hunter had suggested reducing funding for long term events, he suggested reallocating some of the funds removed from other projects to enhance this event. “Maybe we can take that and bump that up to at least a portion of that $6,000 and hit the $28,000 requested by Steel Days,” he proposed. The council agreed to allocate additional funds to extend the show’s duration and improve the accompanying sound system.
Final Motion and Vote
Councilmember Holley proposed the final motion to adopt the ordinance approving the disbursem*nt of PARC tax funds with the following amendments:
- Remove the $14,000 allocation to the Alpine Community Theater.
- Allocate $6,060 of these funds to Live AF for the Steel Days drone show.
- Return the remaining $8,886 to the PARC tax pool for future allocation.
Holley stated, “I move to adopt the ordinance approving the disbursem*nt of the fiscal year 2023-2024 PARC tax funds as presented, with the exception of having the Alpine Community Theater funds not disbursed, and have $6,060 of that instead allocated to Live AF.”
The motion was seconded by Councilmember Clark Taylor and passed with a majority vote. Councilmember Ernie John abstained from the vote due to a conflict of interest.
Future Transparency and Accountability
Mayor Frost emphasized the need for a more granular audit process for PARC tax expenditures to ensure transparency and accountability. “I would recommend, no matter what we do tonight, that we come up with a very thorough audit process so every dollar is accounted for,” said Frost. “I think the citizens of American Fork deserve to see exactly how their money is being spent.”
Councilmember Staci Carroll expressed gratitude for the process, stating, “Being able to witness the PARC Tax Committee’s deliberations gave me even more faith in their work. They try to allocate what they felt was best for the entire community despite their preferences, and I really appreciated that.”
Councilmember Ryan Hunter highlighted improvements for future funding processes, emphasizing the importance of transparency and efficiency. “I just want to mention the importance of taking $10 and making it into $30. It’s crucial that our organizations maximize the impact of these funds. The idea of a detailed audit process will ensure that every dollar is spent wisely and effectively,” he said.
You can view funding information as well as the letter of rationale for funding from the PARC Tax Committee to the City Council at https://www.americanfork.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06112024-1986. Parc Tax information starts on page 8.
