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League of Cities warns West Valley of multiple property-tax bills as 2026 session nears
Summary
Cameron Deal of the League of Cities briefed West Valley City Council that the 2026 legislative calendar will feature numerous property‑tax and land‑use proposals — including potential caps and definitional changes — and urged cities to gather data so the League can recommend positions; the city committed to a streamlined bill tracker and regular updates.
Cameron Deal of the Utah League of Cities and Towns told the West Valley City Council that the 2026 legislative session (Jan. 20–Mar. 6) will feature a heavy property-tax agenda and multiple land-use and public-safety proposals that could affect municipal authority.
Deal said the League will track more than 200 bills and urged cities to provide data to inform positions. He called out a set of property-tax proposals of particular concern: a bill that might cap property‑tax increases to 5% annually; changes to how “new growth” is defined (which could affect Tax Increment Financing/TIF projects); and a proposal to change the residential property-tax exemption (moving assessment treatment for primary residential property while keeping taxing-entity revenue neutral).
Deal noted that some proposals would require voter approval and that definitions and implementation details matter. He urged council to prepare data on TIF and new-growth impacts so the League can assess local consequences and recommended close coordination with municipal lobbyists. “This will be the year of property tax,” Deal told the council, summarizing the League’s outlook.
City staff committed to provide a condensed, West Valley‑focused bill tracker and to offer regular legislative updates every other council meeting during the session. Staff also reviewed communication protocols for quickly asking council members to contact legislators on priority items.
Next steps: staff will provide a concise list of Priority West Valley bills and continued updates during the legislative session; the League will solicit local data to evaluate fiscal implications for specific proposals.
