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Santaquin leaders consider holding tax rate; officials say stability would raise $164,000 for recurring costs
Summary
City staff proposed keeping Santaquin’s property tax rate at 0.001409, which officials said would leave the rate unchanged but raise about 7.8% in revenue (roughly $164,000) because of higher property values; council members discussed using the money for staffing and library support and scheduled a Truth in Taxation hearing for Aug. 7.
At a Santaquin City Council work session Tuesday evening, staff outlined a plan to hold the city’s property tax rate at 0.001409 for the coming year — a move they said would keep the rate the same but net an estimated 7.8% revenue increase because of rising property values.
Norm (staff member) told council members the proposed hold would raise about $164,000 and estimated the change would cost the average homeowner about $2.26 per month (about $29 a year). "What's being considered as being holding the rate at a 0.001409 rate... the value to the average home would be $2.26 per month," Norm said.
City officials said the additional revenue would be earmarked for ongoing costs, not one-time projects. Council members discussed allocating the funds to cover half the cost of a new police position and half of a full-time firefighter post (taking the fire department to two full-time positions), with the remaining halves to be covered by sales-tax growth and other revenues. Officials also said about $28,000 of the revenue would go toward library staffing to move the library closer to required certification levels.
Council member Brian Del Rosario, who was absent from the meeting, submitted written comments that were read into the record supporting the approach. "At least for the foreseeable future, with a lack of significant other sources of revenue, I think it'd be wise to consider holding our tax rate steady... This will help us bear the additional cost from regular inflation while avoiding the need for last minute and or large increases," the statement read.
Other council members at the work session emphasized employee retention and the cost of living as central concerns in the budget discussion. Speakers warned that without predictable, recurring revenue the city risks losing employees to other jurisdictions that can offer higher pay, and they discussed prior cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) and the multi-year effects of inflation on the budget.
City staff reminded the council that the tentative budget was adopted in May and that formal consideration of the tax rate and budget certification will occur at a Truth in Taxation public hearing scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 7, at 7 p.m. Staff said notices will be posted consistent with state Truth in Taxation notice requirements and published in local newspapers prior to the hearing.
No formal vote on the tax rate was taken at the work session; council members directed staff to proceed with the public-noticing process and scheduled the Aug. 7 hearing for formal action.
The work session also briefly previewed other agenda items for the upcoming regular meeting (including an annexation hearing for a 15.39-acre parcel known as "Cemetery 2" on 500 South and a Community Development Agency resolution to sell property to a prospective buyer, among routine reports), but the property-tax discussion was the primary substantive budget item discussed.
The council adjourned the work session by voice vote at the end of the meeting.
