This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On Tuesday the South Jordan council passed three resolutions that will affect Mulligans all without input from the citizens. The council's idea of citizen input is two focus groups (10 people each) and an online survey of 300 to 500 people at the cost of about $20,400 for a political campaign consultant.
So, no more than 520 people in a city of about 60,000 will be the basis on which the city determines the groundwork for our priceless green space! We know that polls, surveys and focus group questions can all be guided and aligned to the desired outcome of the client which, in this case, is the city of South Jordan. Keep in mind the council-guided Forest City study, which shows five-story office buildings, four-story apartment buildings, three-story townhomes, parking garages, a hotel and commercial buildings as a potential outcome for Mulligans.
By hiring a political campaign consultant, the city has slapped the citizens in the face and is saying, "We will tell you what you get to choose!" rather than working with the public to arrive at an agreed-upon pathway to the truth. When will the council realize it is better to work with the public and not against them?
The resolutions themselves contain several points of misinformation and were inconsistent with each other. Some of the errors were corrected, but not all. For example, Mulligans was purchased in 2004 to preserve open space for $10.8 million, yet the city states it was purchased for $12.5 million. The differences are the costs and fees to issue the revenue bond and should not be considered part of the price. These nuances and differences are the misinformation persistently published to the public as facts.
South Jordan's city auditor informed the council that their numbers regarding Mulligans were "mischaracterized" and needed more review, yet the council refused to allow him to complete his audit. The city has also refused to provide his preliminary report to the public via GRAMA requests, even though the document was discussed in a public meeting. (The GRAMA request denial is currently scheduled for a hearing at the State Records Committee on October 9.)
The South Jordan City Council continues to refuse to work with the public regarding the development of the city-owned asset known as Mulligans. They have not held any town hall meetings or asked for citizen input, other than a single citizen meeting held by council member Steve Barnes, who was then promptly and falsely barred from any meetings regarding Mulligans.
In mid-August, the Save Mulligans leadership requested to meet with the council under to-be-determined conditions. The reason for this meeting was to form a collaborative alliance in the areas of agreement, with the understanding there would always be areas of disagreement. The mayor and the majority of the council refused the offer.
We believe the city is headed in the wrong direction regarding Mulligans and is headed down a path that will not end well, regardless of the outcome. South Jordan citizens are well-informed and educated. Almost 300 people attended a single council meeting voicing their opinion on development. In addition, countless emails and phone calls were also submitted, and the council still refuses to listen to the people. The public is tired of being dismissed, disparaged and described as irrelevant or only being allowed to participate at the will of the city council.
South Jordan citizens deserve better.
Julie Holbrook is president of Save Mulligans