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Senate approves amendment limiting taxing authority for police districts, requires city and county votes
Summary
The Senate adopted an amendment to SB131 that sets who must approve local police-district tax increases: a simple majority in each participating city and the county council, or if not unanimous, a two-thirds county-council majority plus city majorities; the amended bill passed unanimously and will move to the House.
The Utah Senate adopted a compromise amendment to legislation that structures taxing authority for interlocal police districts and then passed the bill unanimously.
Senator Bramble offered Amendment #3 (dated 02/24/2009), negotiated among Salt Lake County, the League of Cities and Towns, and affected cities. The amendment establishes a clear threshold for tax increases to fund a police district: if each participating city legislative body and the county council approve a tax increase by a simple majority, the tax may be imposed. If one or more participating cities object, the amendment requires a two-thirds vote of the county council plus a simple majority of the legislative bodies of participating cities to impose the tax.
The amendment also limits the statute’s applicability to counties of the first class, a concession intended to narrow the change to the counties that expect to form these districts.
Sponsor reaction and vote Senator Jenkins (sponsor) described the change as "friendly"; Senator Bramble said he was unaware of any opposition among the affected stakeholders. The Senate adopted the amendment and passed the second substitute, SB131, on a recorded roll call (29 yeas, 0 nays) and referred it to the House.
Why it matters SB131 governs how local governments can organize and fund joint policing arrangements. The amendment clarifies a previously contested point—whether a single city could block a district tax—by providing a two-path approval mechanism designed to protect municipal interests while enabling regional policing options. The limitation to counties of the first class narrows the law’s immediate reach to large counties.
