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Council candidates emphasize parks, planned growth and keeping housing affordable for locals
Summary
Council candidates at a Mona forum said they favor planned growth, green space and tools to keep housing accessible for people who already live in the city. Several candidates pointed to impact fees, negotiated developer obligations and grant-seeking as ways to fund parks and infrastructure.
Council candidates in Mona spoke at length about parks, trails, planned growth and housing affordability, telling residents they want to protect the city’s character while finding revenue to support amenities and infrastructure.
The discussion matters to long-time residents who said they want green space and trails that serve existing neighborhoods and want their children to be able to afford homes locally as growth continues.
Jana Crawford, a council candidate, said she is running because she “cares about the residents of Mona” and wants growth to be “well thought out and planned correctly” so current residents are not left behind. Crawford cited water availability as a condition for approving further development and said she would advocate for preserving farmland and supporting farmers and ranchers.
Jennifer Fowkes Donaldson, a certified public accountant and council candidate, said financial oversight would be central to her work. “My background is the money,” she said, describing experience auditing state agencies and working on governmental fund accounting and budgets.
Candidates also discussed parks and recreation. One speaker described ongoing conversations about a greenbelt and trails and said impact fees collected from new development could be targeted for parks, though multiple candidates cautioned that funding and coordinated planning would be required. Several candidates noted that grants and intergovernmental negotiation could help pay for large park projects without raising homeowner rates substantially.
Affordability for local families was a recurring theme. Candidates suggested bringing nonresidential tax revenue into the city so residents do not shoulder all costs, and some encouraged preserving land parcels or exploring subsidized options so children of residents can remain in Mona.
After the forum candidates invited residents to participate in planning and to bring concrete proposals to council meetings so officials can prioritize projects that reflect community preferences.
