Midvale council creates public-safety property tax, adopts fiscal 2026 budget; approves deeds and pay scales

Midvale City Council on Aug. 19 unanimously adopted an ordinance establishing a Midvale City public-safety property tax and approved the city’s final budget for fiscal year 2026, after a public hearing and more than an hour of public comment. The council also approved two routine items during an earlier regular meeting: acceptance of two executed quitclaim deeds tied to the 2025 utility and street improvement project and adoption of new pay scales reflecting a 2.4% cost-of-living adjustment.

The council passed the public-safety property tax ordinance (2025-O-13) at a rate of 0.000249 for calendar year 2025; staff estimated it will generate about $940,561 for a newly created public-safety special revenue fund. The council then unanimously adopted Resolution 2025-R-47, approving the city’s final operating and capital budgets for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

Why it matters: Council members and city staff said the separate public-safety fund is intended to make spending for policing and other public-safety services more transparent and dedicated, after several years in which public-safety contract costs have grown faster than other general-fund spending. Mariah Hill, Midvale’s administrative services director, said the final budget “reflects an effort to maintain the city's current level of service in these uncertain economic times, including capturing rising costs and making cuts wherever possible.”

Budget and tax details - The city presented a balanced general fund of roughly $27 million for FY2026; staff said the general fund total is down about 13.4% from the prior year primarily because of one-time capital…