Midway CDRA adopts zeroed tentative 2026 budget, directs staff to resolve state park tax question

The Midway City Community Development and Renewal Agency adopted a tentative fiscal year 2026 budget with zero revenue and zero expenditures and set a public hearing for June 17, the agency’s chair said during the meeting.

Brad, a city staff member who briefed the board, told members the campground portion of Wasatch Mountain State Park that Midway annexed remains on the state tax rolls. "For this last year, our budget has just been 0, 0 revenue, 0 expenditures," he said, adding he had verified the state tax commission had not transitioned the property's tax account to Midway.

That annexation agreement includes a clause requiring Midway to return any tax revenue from the annexed park land back to the state park. Brad said the superintendent of Wasatch Mountain State Park, Jonathan, will double-check the tax commission records and report back to the city so staff can determine next steps.

Why it matters: If the state tax commission later assigns tax revenue to Midway, the city would be contractually obligated to return proceeds to the park; if no revenue is assigned, Midway would have no funds to remit. Brad outlined three practical options for the CDRA: create a project area to receive and immediately return any assigned revenues (the mechanism used previously for a grocery-store project), leave the current arrangement unchanged if no revenue is ever assigned, or dissolve the CDRA and reinstate it later if needed.

Council members debated the trade-offs. One council member cautioned against broadly using economic-incentive tools, saying the valley has "way, way too much government influence promoting businesses" and arguing such tools should be rare given local housing affordability concerns. Chair-led discussion emphasized waiting for the tax commission and the state park superintendent to confirm account status before making a decision on the CDRA's future.

Brad also relayed a related request from the park superintendent: Jonathan proposed a new trail from the Wasatch Mountain State Park visitor center down to Soldier Hollow with spurs into Midway, and asked whether Midway could assist. Brad said staff will follow up with the superintendent and share location information by email.

The agency took three formal actions on the record: it approved meeting minutes from June 18, 2024; it adopted the tentative fiscal year 2026 CDRA budget as presented (zeros); and it set June 17 as the date for the public hearing on that tentative budget. All three motions passed by voice vote with no opposition or abstentions recorded during the meeting.

What’s next: Staff will verify the tax commission’s records and report whether any park-related tax revenue has been or will be assigned to Midway. The council agreed to keep the CDRA available while staff investigates; any decision to dissolve the CDRA would be deferred until the tax/accounting question is resolved and brought back to the board for further action.