Herriman council reviews parks, cemetery and events budget; staff propose new positions and rodeo subsidy

Herriman — At its March 11 work session the Herriman City Council reviewed the parks, cemetery and events department budget proposals for fiscal years 2027–28, with staff laying out personnel requests, operating pressures and capital asks that will feed into the city manager’s recommended budget to be released May 13.

Councilmember Kyle, who presented the item, said parks’ net revenue projections show a modest 4% increase in the first year and a larger jump into FY28 driven mainly by proposed new positions. “We’re requesting an arborist assistant in FY2027 and moving our deputy director to director-level responsibilities this year,” Kyle said. Staff also proposed converting a parks technician lead to a foreman role and adding a parks manager in FY2028 to help supervise operations and projects.

Why it matters: the tentative budget must be adopted on May 13 under state statute and any tax-rate changes require final adoption by June 10. Those deadlines mean staffing and capital requests discussed Tuesday will be folded into the public review and formal hearings next month.

Staff noted several operating pressures. The city’s recent 6.5% water-rate increase flows through to parks and cemetery irrigation costs; staff also expect higher mowing costs following a recent RFP and more acreage coming online. For parks upkeep, the department requested $10,000 per year for bike-park maintenance and identified one-time and recurring equipment needs.

Cemetery costs are largely charged to parks staff who bill their time to the cemetery fund; staff estimated an approximately 12% increase in cemetery expenditures for FY2027 driven in part by a one-time skid-steer maintenance item and by routine maintenance allocations. Sanitation costs for cemetery services were called out as rising (an approximate $750 increase noted by staff) and water charges will increase alongside park water use.

Events and rodeo finances drew extended discussion. Events Manager Lauren told council the rodeo generated about $165,000 in revenue last year (that figure includes a third day) but the current operating proposal would still require a subsidy of roughly $43,400 in FY2027 and about $54,730 in FY2028; those tallies exclude personnel costs, which staff said the new accounting system will capture more accurately going forward. Lauren also identified a $12,600 FY2027 estimate for credit-card processing fees tied to Ice Ribbon ticket sales; staff recommended including processing fees as a cost of doing business rather than charging attendees a separate fee.

Capital priorities identified for later CIP consideration include a splash-pad replacement (estimated at about $500,000), mower and vehicle replacements, a proposed annual amenity-replacement fund, and a possible large LED Christmas tree for Crane Plaza. Staff emphasized some requests could be funded by sponsorships and reserves rather than the general fund.

Councilmembers praised the events team for sponsorship development but also flagged parking and seating constraints as barriers to revenue growth for large events. Staff said they will return refined budget materials as part of the city manager’s tentative budget on May 13 and the formal budget adoption process in June.

Next steps: the city manager’s recommended (tentative) budget is scheduled for May 13; a final adoption — and any tax-rate decision — must occur by June 10 if the council pursues a tax increase.