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Tooele leaders discuss minor budget changes and decline to apply for $40,000 homeless mitigation grant this year
Summary
Finance Director Shannon Wimmer presented minor budget adjustments including moving Veterans Park restroom costs into the park impact fee fund and a $70,000 sidewalk carryover. Mayor reported the city will not apply for $40,000 in state homeless mitigation funds this year, citing reporting requirements and staffing expectations.
Shannon Wimmer, Tooele City finance director, updated the council on minor changes to the draft budget during the June 4 work meeting and explained transfers and revenue adjustments.
Wimmer said the library increased cleaning from four to six days per week with a $4,750 transfer between line items to cover the cost. The city moved the Veterans Park restroom cost fully into the park impact fee fund, adding $150,000 to that fund, and also added a restroom at Lehi Eagles Park to the park impact fee fund. Parks wireless expenses rose by about $3,000 to bring additional parks online with Internet service. Wimmer said the sidewalk replacement program will carry over an additional $70,000 to cover remaining work. Payroll adjustments reflected open enrollment choices and a few step increases for qualifying employees.
Mayor (name not specified in the meeting transcript) described the city’s decision not to apply this year for $40,000 in state homeless mitigation funds. The mayor said the state groups cities into tiers; Tooele City is in tier 2 and currently would be eligible for about 2.5% of those mitigation funds, while tier 1 cities receive a substantially larger share (he described tier 1 as receiving “80 something percent”). The mayor said the state required reporting that funding reduced homelessness and required operational expectations Tooele could not meet with the funding level, including staffing a full‑time presence within one mile of the shelter 24/7, which the mayor said would require multiple officers and cost well over the grant amount. For those reasons the mayor said, “we decided that this year we would not apply for the $40,000.”
The mayor explained that Tooele hosts the only shelter in the county; as a result, he said, the city carries a disproportionate local burden because sales tax collected elsewhere also contributes to the mitigation fund. He said the city is working with the Utah League of Cities and Towns to seek legislative changes to alter tiering, but that would require state action.
Council members thanked staff for producing a balanced budget and for the budget book materials. No formal budget adoption or vote occurred at the June 4 work meeting; staff presented the adjustments for council review and directed follow‑up items, including tracking carryovers and confirming revenue changes.
