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Lennox council reviews 2024 annual report and warns of ambulance funding strain; ambulance district discussed
Summary
City staff presented the 2024 annual financial highlights showing mixed revenue changes and rising enterprise debt; council members discussed long-term ambulance funding and the prospect of forming an ambulance district as state-level property-tax reductions loom.
City staff presented the Lennox 2024 annual report to the city council, summarizing revenues, expenses and debt changes across city funds and prompting council discussion about long-term ambulance funding and a possible ambulance district.
A staff presenter reviewed the report’s headline figures, saying general revenues rose in several categories: property tax by $227,000, sales tax by about $29,000, building-permit revenue by $136,000, interest income by $31,000 and special-assessment revenue by $53,000. The presenter said contributions and donations decreased by $183,000 because a 2023 Lehi School District payment that funded the pool parking lot had been categorized as a private donation in 2023.
The presenter said long-term debt for enterprise funds (water, sewer, ambulance and swimming pool) increased by about $2,000,000, primarily because of CB4 projects, with loans totaling $2,370,000. The presenter also said that, excluding the CB4/loan activity, there was an approximately $3,067,000 decrease in a specified category (as described in the report). The sewer fund revenue increased substantially, the presenter said, from DOC proceeds totaling roughly $10.5 million; excluding federal and state funds, the sewer revenue increase was about $23,500. The presenter described other fund-level changes, including a sharp decrease in a laundry fund’s revenue—largely an effect of ARPA and one-time federal/state funding in 2023—and a modest improvement at the municipal swimming pool (revenues up about $18,500 while expenses fell about $1,200).
Council members used the annual-report presentation to frame a longer discussion about ambulance funding. Councilmember Tyson said the city faces ongoing losses in operating its ambulance service and that those losses are being shouldered by Lennox taxpayers across a small municipal area while the ambulance serves a much larger rural territory. "It's imperative that this be a shared expense with our townships around us," Tyson said, adding that an ambulance district appears to be the only sustainable option other than continuing to use city tax revenue to subsidize service across approximately 200 square miles.
Tyson and other council members raised a separate concern about a state-level policy proposal referenced by council members—a stated goal by some in the state legislature to reduce property taxes by roughly 50%—which they said would create a significant revenue shortfall if enacted. Councilmembers discussed conducting a budget-exercise workshop with staff to model the impact of potential state revenue cuts on local services, particularly public safety and ambulance operations.
Councilmember Tyson asked staff to provide historical figures showing how much the city has subsidized the ambulance service over the past 10 years to quantify the effect on city finances. Staff said they would provide additional information, described previous outreach with neighboring townships on the issue, and noted that creating an ambulance district might require petitions or further intergovernmental steps.
The council voted to approve the 2024 annual report by motion and voice vote.
