West Valley City previews $169 million budget, proposes $2.9M property-tax increase for 2025–26

West Valley City staff on Aug. 12 presented the tentative 2025–26 budget — just over $169 million in total — and outlined a proposed $2.9 million property‑tax increase to fund public‑safety costs and capital projects. Mr. Welch said the general fund totals slightly more than $120 million and that sales tax, property tax and user fees together account for the bulk of city revenue.

The proposal would raise city property‑tax revenue by $2.9 million, with the county‑determined average assessed home value used for public notices at $450,000. Welch said the additional revenue is earmarked primarily for public‑safety expenses, including firefighter hires, market‑rate salary adjustments for police and fire, four additional sworn officers and investments such as body cameras and protective vests; he described about $3.5 million in public‑safety increases tied to those items.

The presentation noted the city must publish required notices and hold a public hearing; the council set a public hearing for next week and will follow statutorily required publication and certification timelines. Welch also referenced Senate Bill 29 (noted in the presentation) as requiring certain public disclosures about tax increases and their purpose. He told the council the proposed tax change would translate to an approximate 1.7% change in the total tax bill when combined with county and school district levies, and a roughly 7.7% change for the city’s share alone, per the materials presented.

Council members asked for breakdowns of how the $2.9 million is allocated between police and fire; Welch described hires, market adjustments and other increases and said more detailed auditing and final figures will be available once the fiscal‑year audit completes. The council did not take final action; the public hearing and formal adoption process will follow the scheduled hearing next week and subsequent budget meetings as required by state law.