Bluffdale council adopts amended consolidated fee schedule, adds state-required stormwater violation fees

Bluffdale City Council voted June 25 to adopt Ordinance 2025-18, a set of changes to the city's consolidated fee schedule that city staff said is intended to align charges with actual service costs and new state code requirements.

City finance and operations staff, identified in the meeting as Stephanie Ambers and Bruce, explained the key changes. They said the newly renovated arena will be charged for equestrian use only, pavilion fees were restructured by amenity and by half-day/full-day and resident/nonresident status, and the staff removed a separate refundable deposit by rolling that amount into the fee to simplify administration. Staff also noted adjustments to pass through contracted increases for waste collection and an increase to the stormwater maintenance fee implemented earlier in the budget.

On new stormwater enforcement fees, staff said recent Utah code updates allow local jurisdictions to charge for SWIP (stormwater) violations and the city is adding defined fees and criteria to collect those charges when violations occur. As staff put it, the fees are set so "we do try to set these fees to make sure that we're covering the costs of these services."

Councilmember Wilding moved adoption of the ordinance; Councilmember Crockett seconded. A roll-call vote recorded “Yes” from Councilmember Austin, Mayor Pro Tem Aston, Councilmember Wilding, Councilmember Crockett and Councilmember Lord. The motion passed and the ordinance was adopted.

Council members who spoke during the discussion emphasized administrative simplicity (removing deposit refund steps) and comparability with neighboring cities for select user fees. No members requested postponement; staff offered to provide further detail later if council needed line-item explanations.

The ordinance becomes part of the city's published fee schedule and staff will implement the revised rates for the identified facilities and services.