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Bountiful adopts $106.25 million FY2026 budget and approves 5% cost-of-living increase for employees
Summary
The Bountiful City Council unanimously adopted the city's amended FY2025 budget and the FY2026 final budget, approved compensation increases including a 5% cost-of-living adjustment, and set fees and tax allocations for the coming year after public hearings and staff presentations.
The Bountiful City Council on June 24 adopted the city's fiscal year 2026 budget, approving a consolidated $106,246,786 spend plan and a set of compensation increases for city employees and select municipal officers.
City staff presented the final budget in a continuation of the public hearing process. Galen Rasmussen, a city staff member who presented the budget materials, said the FY2026 budget begins July 1, 2025, and noted the package includes an estimated $3.6 million in property tax revenue for general operations and $473,910 for debt service on a general obligation bond. Rasmussen also described a 5% cost-of-living adjustment for regular full-time employees and a 6.51% increase in health insurance costs that are reflected in the proposal. "Tonight is a continuation of a public hearing that took place, last time we met on June 10," Rasmussen said during his presentation.
Why it matters: The budget funds core services (police, fire, streets, utilities) and capital projects across enterprise funds (power, water, fiber) and general government. The council adopted related ordinances that set the certified tax rate, fee schedules, and the amendments needed to close out FY2025 and begin FY2026.
In public comment, resident Ron (last name not specified in the record) raised concerns about the Light & Power customer service charge and its impact on low- and moderate-income households, noting the charge grew from $4/month in 2010 to $15/month and observed the regressive effect on customers who use little electricity.
Council action: After the public hearings, the council voted unanimously to approve ordinance 2025-08 (compensation increases for employees, including executive municipal officers) and ordinance 2025-09 (adopting amended and final budgets, tax rates, and associated schedules). Councilmembers discussed implementation logistics for personnel measures and market-based merit adjustments. The council also authorized staff to notify nonprofit RAP-tax recipients after adoption and to manage budgeted transfers across enterprise and general funds.
Supporting details: The budget package includes a number of department budgets and capital allocations: the power department budget of roughly $43.9 million, water fund plans (discussed in a separate presentation), street, sanitation, police and fiber allocations, and a list of nonprofit RAP-tax awards that will be notified after adoption. The FY2026 budget also contains a planned assistant golf professional position and various fee adjustments (including a pool attachment fee increase from $14 to $15).
The council framed the ethics-policy discussion and state-auditor fraud-risk checklist as management initiatives that will continue to be refined and implemented as training and signed commitments for employees and possibly volunteers.
What happens next: The adopted budgets and ordinances will be posted and the city will begin executing FY2026 appropriations on July 1, 2025. Departments will proceed with capital projects and staff will notify RAP-tax recipients and continue work on the proposed ethics-code implementation and training.
