Weber School District board approves 5.64% tax increase after truth-in-taxation hearing

Weber County ' The Weber School District Board of Education voted to raise local property taxes by 5.64% for tax year 2025, approving a recommended adjustment that increases the district's board and voted levies to a combined 18.2 tax increments and is projected to raise $9,722,950.

Brock Mitchell, the district's business administrator, presented the recommendation at a truth-in-taxation public hearing and described how the proposal would change the district's levies. "The recommendation we'll make to the board is to increase 4 tax increments above the certified rate to 18.2 tax increments," Mitchell said, adding that the change "results in a 5.64% tax increase" and equates to about $46.83 a year for the average household.

Why it matters: the board's move is intended to capture more state-guaranteed funding under the state's WPU (Weighted Pupil Unit) formula and the recent changes to the hold-harmless provisions in state law. Superintendent Butters told the board that failing to claim available state funds could mean long-term reductions in district resources. "If we fail to meet the minimum local effort required by the state... we forfeit significant funding," he said, urging the board to consider student safety and program needs in their vote.

What the board approved: the board voted to set the local board levy at 0.000844 and the voted levy at 0.0009 (bringing the district to 18.2 tax increments for those levies), a net 5.64% increase over the 2024 combined rate and an estimated $9,722,950 in additional local revenue. The district's presentation noted this recommendation is below the maximum percentage shown on county tax notices earlier in the process.

Public comments were split but numerous. Several residents, retirees and substitutes urged the board to reject any increase, saying many households cannot absorb higher property taxes. Stuart Campbell, a Pleasant resident who identified himself as a parent and certified financial planner, urged the board to use existing reserves before asking taxpayers for more: "When you sit on $114,000,000 in reserves ... Use the funds," Campbell said.

Other speakers supported the increase as an investment in school safety and building repairs. Jenny Gravatt, a Weber teacher, said she supports the board's recommended increase so students have safe, functional learning spaces: "Our students deserve buildings and learning spaces that feel safe, that feel updated, and inspiring," she said. Parents and current and former educators described leaking roofs, failing boilers, classroom temperature issues and state-mandated safety upgrades (panic/communication devices, single-push door locks, glazing and other security work) that the district says are only partially funded by grants.

Numbers and context: Mitchell explained the mechanics behind the request, including the district's average market value figure used to calculate household impact (presented in the hearing as an average market value near $524,000) and the district's calculation of tax increments (1 increment = $28.82 per year on the presented average home). He also described recent state legislative changes (including a reduction from a six-year to a two-year hold-harmless lookback, via HB 2) and a three-year phase-down plan the legislature provided to ease transitions.

Board action and procedure: the board held a public hearing and then voted on a motion to implement the recommendation. The motion to set the levies as recommended was made and seconded on the record; the motion passed. The meeting record does not list an itemized roll-call tally in the public transcript; the board announced the motion had passed and the new rates will be submitted to the county as required by law.

What was not decided: the hearing and the vote approved the tax-rate adjustment only. The board did not adopt additional specific capital or program expenditures during this meeting; Mitchell and district staff said the rate change is intended to sustain current operations, meet safety mandates and capture state-guaranteed funding rather than to add new long-term programs.

Next steps and district guidance: the district said it will continue to pursue grants (including for audio enhancement and door/lock work), use available federal ESSER funds where allowed and present more detailed budget planning through the summer. Mitchell and staff encouraged residents with financial hardship to consult Weber County tax-relief resources posted on the county assessor/treasurer site.

Ending: Board members said publicly that the decision was difficult and that they had been weighing competing duties: to represent taxpayers and to preserve state funding and student safety. Several board members asked residents to remain engaged with the district and to attend future meetings. The new levies and rates will be filed with the county as the 2025 property tax schedule is finalized.