Sandy City adopts tentative FY2026 budget with $1 million in cuts; mayor announces $1M foundation pledge for Alta Canyon rebuild

Sandy City Council on May 6, 2025, adopted a tentative fiscal year 2026 budget that trims about $1 million from the prior year, preserves current tax rates and advances plans for the Alta Canyon Sports Center rebuild after Mayor Monica Zoltanski announced a $1,000,000 pledge from the Larry H. Miller Family Foundation. The council approved the tentative budget by voice roll call, 6-0.

The budget presentation emphasized maintaining core public-safety and infrastructure services while responding to flat sales-tax growth and inflation. "This budget includes a million dollars of cuts from the prior year's budget," Mayor Monica Zoltanski told the council during the public hearing, adding the administration would not seek a sales-tax or property-tax increase as part of the tentative plan.

Why it matters: the tentative budget sets spending ceilings for the coming year and starts a multi-week review process that ends with final adoption. The administration framed the reductions—largely personnel and operating cuts—as necessary to fund a proposed 3% cost-of-living adjustment for employees, continued fleet and capital spending, and a plan to complete the Alta Canyon Sports Center rebuild without raising taxes.

Key numbers and priorities

- Total city budget (all funds): roughly $185,000,000. General fund: $82,700,000. Fund balance target: 12% (about $9.3 million). - Personnel and compensation: the administration proposed a compensation package estimated to increase personnel costs by 3.4% overall (about $2,160,000 to general and governmental funds; $2,550,000 citywide). Katrina Frederick, the city HR director, said, "we are recommending a 3% cost of living increase to keep our compensation and pay ranges competitive." The package includes a COLA, step increases for sworn police and fire personnel (costing about $870,000 citywide) and a 3% performance-based pool for non-sworn employees. - Cuts and staffing: the tentative budget reduces approximately $1,100,000 from departmental bases and eliminates five positions overall (the mayor said two positions in Community Development and one in the attorney's office are among the eliminations). The administration said the reductions relied largely on attrition and a review of vacant roles; city officials acknowledged a small number of filled positions were discussed as reductions and said affected employees had already been notified and offered severance. - Capital and operating priorities: continued investment in fleet replacement (ongoing replacement funding raised to $1.7 million plus additional one-time replacements), street reconstruction, hazardous concrete repair, water-line replacement and Fire Station 31 completion. The stormwater utility fee was proposed to increase by $2.50 per month to fund stormwater projects.

Alta Canyon Sports Center funding

Mayor Zoltanski and Finance Director Brian Kelly outlined a funding plan for the Alta Canyon Sports Center reconstruction, a project the administration presented at about $21.14 million combined over FY25–26. The mayor announced the Larry H. Miller Family Foundation has committed a minimum of $1,000,000 to the project and will assist fundraising. Kelly said the tentative funding package also anticipates applying for about $3,000,000 in TRCC grant funding and programs $2,100,000 from the planned sale of the existing Fire Station 31 site. The administration expects a further $2.6 million payback from the 9400 South community development area (RDA) for a total of roughly $4.6 million in that category. Kelly said the project is scalable if external funds fall short.

Public-safety and other revenue items

The administration emphasized preserving sworn police and fire positions despite baseline cuts in other departments. Kelly also noted that several revenue sources—renegotiated school-resource-officer contracts with the Canyons School District, increased ambulance-transport income and the UFA contract—helped the revenue picture. He described the city’s revenue outlook as "modest" growth that does not keep pace with inflationary cost increases.

Council discussion, public comment and process

Council members asked about details of cuts, timing and compensation trade-offs. Council Member Ryan Meekum made the motion to adopt the tentative budget resolution; Council Member Brooke D'Souza seconded. Council Member Hausman asked for clarification on printed language in the budget document (a cover-page labeling issue); staff said that was a scrivener error that could be corrected administratively.

Two members of the public spoke during the hearing: a resident who asked that the internal cover labeling be corrected, and another speaker who raised a separate concern about behavior he observed at a prior council meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution adopting tentative budgets for Sandy City and the Alta Canyon Recreation District (Resolution number read as "20517 C" in the meeting): Motion by Council Member Ryan Meekum; second by Council Member Brooke D'Souza. Roll-call vote: Ryan Meekum — yes; Brooke D'Souza — yes; (Mr.) Dickheiser — yes; Allison Stroud — yes; Council Member Hausman — yes; Cindy Sharkey — yes. Outcome: adopted, 6-0. - Motion to adjourn into a closed session to discuss the character, professional competence or physical/mental health of an individual: moved by Chair Erin de Kayser and seconded by Council Member Meekum; adopted by roll call, 6-0. The closed session was scheduled to be held at City Hall.

Next steps and timing

The tentative budget provides the legal framework for public review and department-level presentations the administration scheduled over the following weeks. The council may amend the tentative document before final adoption; the administration said the final budget must be adopted by June 24, 2025, unless the council triggers a truth-in-taxation process by proposing a property-tax increase (which would extend the schedule). Finance staff requested timely council action on the compensation plan so a new payroll/HR system can be populated ahead of the mid-June pay period.

The council’s packet and the full budget document are available through the city recorder’s office and the city’s online budget portal for residents seeking line-item detail.