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Roy City council adopts tentative FY2026 budget, sets 28% ceiling for possible property tax increase
Summary
On June 17 the Roy City Council adopted a tentative fiscal 2026 budget and set a 28% ceiling for the advertised property tax increase; the council also approved utility rate changes needed to begin July billing and removed a cost-of-living increase for the mayor and council.
Roy City adopted a tentative budget for fiscal year 2026 at its June 17 meeting and set a maximum advertised property tax increase of 28 percent, council members said, while scheduling a truth-in-taxation public hearing for Aug. 19.
Amber (staff member) told the council the draft fiscal 2026 general fund budget presented on May 6 totaled $28,522,710. After work sessions and further review the city says it needs $450,000 in new property-tax revenueto balance the proposed budget, roughly an 8.77 percent increase on the general fund. Amber said that amount would equal about $3.13 per month, or $37.54 per year, for an average household.
The council set 28 percent as the maximum ceiling to be advertised for the tax notice that must go to Weber County. Council members stressed the advertised ceiling is not the final tax rate; the final tax rate will be set after the truth-in-taxation process at the Aug. 19 hearing. Mayor Dandoid and other council members indicated they expect further work between now and the late-August hearing to narrow the final increase.
Utility rates and early implementation
Amber told the council the budget includes utility rate changes that must be adopted now so the city can begin billing in July: a 5 percent water rate increase (about $1.26 per month on the average household) and a $5-per-month sewer increase tied in part to costs from North Davis Sewer District and the city's own infrastructure needs.
Council debate: wages, turnover and fund balance
The budget debate dominated the meeting. Several council members and the mayor pressed the council to consider long-term fixes to employee pay and the city's merit/cola program; the mayor said the city is about 14 percent below comparable cities on average pay. "If you really wanna fix this, then go to the system that is broke and fix it," the mayor said, urging a targeted compensation strategy rather than repeated year-to-year tax increases.
Council member Diane and others pointed to programs that can reduce tax burdens for qualifying residents and asked staff to improve outreach; staff said several county-run tax-abatement and relief programs already exist for veterans, seniors and low-income households.
The council also voted separately to remove a 2.5 percent cost-of-living allowance (COLA) for the mayor and city council from a proposed compensation ordinance; the ordinance otherwise stays in effect for city staff and certain officers and will take effect when the final budget is adopted.
What the vote means and next steps
The council's adoption of the tentative budget and the 28 percent ceiling means the city can meet statutory deadlines for tax notices and begin implementing rate changes that must start in July. The council can lower the advertised ceiling between now and Aug. 19, but it cannot raise it above the ceiling set June 17.
A final budget and the official property-tax rate will be decided at the truth-in-taxation hearing on Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. in the Roy City Council Chambers. Council members and staff said they will meet and propose alternatives, including partial use of one-time fund balance and targeted pay-plan reforms, before the August hearing.
