The Lehi City Council voted 4-1 to eliminate the PARC Tax Advisory Committee and revise program guidelines, according to a September 15 report by the Lehi Free Press. The council's decision includes moving the responsibility of vetting grant applicants from the committee to city staff and the council.
The dissolved committee, which consisted of city staff and volunteer residents, was responsible for receiving applications for the PARC Tax Community Grant Program, vetting applicants, and presenting funding recommendations to the council. Former committee chair Nicole Kunze stated that the council has the best view of Lehi's current needs.
Council member James Harrison expressed confidence that city staff could handle the committee's previous duties, such as determining applicant eligibility and balancing requested amounts against allocated funds. Under the new guidelines, grant applicants will have three minutes to present to the city council, a reduction from the 15-minute presentations previously delivered to the committee.
Additionally, the council strengthened grant application wording to require that qualifying organizations have a significant presence in Lehi, defined as being headquartered or maintaining a principal place of business in the city. The council also revised guidelines to allow for flexibility in how much of the PARC Tax income is allocated to arts and culture versus parks and recreation.
The PARC tax generates between $1.3 million and $1.5 million annually. Current policy guidelines recommend allocating up to 30% of that income to arts and culture through grants, while the remaining 70% is used for parks and recreation.
While most council members supported the move, Emily Lockhart cast the dissenting vote, stating she could not support the removal of the committee. Kunze noted that the committee provided a layer of impartiality, transparency, and resident engagement, and observed that neighboring cities like American Fork, Provo, and Eagle Mountain utilize resident volunteer committees for similar tax programs.
