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Emigration Canyon council flags roughly $319,000 MSD shortfall, debates mayor pay
Summary
At a council workshop, Emigration Canyon officials reviewed MSD budget pages, expressed alarm at a reported $319,000 shortfall, discussed raising the mayor's compensation and comparables, and agreed to invite MSD financial staff to clarify revenues and transfers.
Emigration Canyon council members spent the bulk of a workshop reviewing Municipal Services District (MSD) budget documents, questioning how revenue and transfers were shown and debating whether to raise the mayor's pay.
The session opened with an itemized review of compensation lines. Unidentified Speaker 1 said, “It's currently $1,500 a month,” and Unidentified Speaker 2 argued the mayor should sit on the MSD because the mayor must sign financial paperwork. The group clarified MSD pays board members $100 per meeting and meets twice monthly, a practice one member said “covers the gas.”
Council members reviewed comparative pay lines for nearby towns. Unidentified Speaker 4 cited Springdale’s mayor, Barbara Bruno, saying Bruno is “pretty much full time every day” and that Springdale pays about $6,500 a year. Unidentified Speaker 2 proposed raising Emigration Canyon’s mayor pay, saying “it probably ought to be to a minimum of 4,500,” while also warning the town’s budget “is so out of whack.” Several members suggested a reasonable monthly range between $2,500 and $3,000 (roughly $30,000–$36,000 annually), contingent on identifying a stable revenue source.
The meeting turned to MSD budget lines after participants located the 2026 MSD pages in the meeting packet. Unidentified Speaker 4 read expenditures of about $257,002.35, while other lines for income and transfers were presented in ways attendees found confusing (figures showed as $5.77, $577,000 or $3.19 on different pages and lines). Unidentified Speaker 3 said, “We're in the hole,” and other members described a reported shortfall of about $319,000 as “alarming.”
Council members discussed why those numbers did not reconcile on the packet pages, noting fiscal‑year transitions and past payroll reporting errors as complicating factors. They also discussed differences in how member cities report wages (some include city administrators in mayor lines), making direct comparisons difficult.
To resolve outstanding questions, the council agreed to invite MSD financial staff—Stewart or Daniel, and general manager Marla—to the next meeting, either in person or online, to explain transfers, revenue sources and whether smaller cities are being subsidized by larger partners. Staff committed to have paperwork available and to answer specific questions.
Members raised possible revenue options to cover increased compensation or capital needs, including a franchise tax, municipal/MET tax or bonds to pay for a community center feasibility study and future building costs. The council deferred a brief unrelated item (a commercial dog‑walker permit) to prioritize the MSD budget review and scheduled follow‑up material for the next workshop.
The council recessed after adopting a motion to adjourn for five minutes. The MSD budget review and the question of mayor pay remain scheduled for continued discussion after MSD staff present clarifying documentation.
