Cache County moves to reallocate fire levy, council approves ordinance to stop taxing Logan for services it does not receive

The Cache County Council adopted ordinance 2026-23 to reallocate portions of the general fund into separate levies, enabling the county to stop levying a fire-service tax across Logan City where residents receive little county fire service.

A staff presenter (speaker 17) explained the ordinance would not raise total county taxes but would reallocate how revenue is assessed so that Logan City residents would no longer be taxed for county fire protection they do not receive. "It allows for the special allocation of the tax for the fire department...stop taxing Logan for a service that they don't receive and instead reallocate that tax to all areas of the county except Logan City," the presenter said.

Paul Guymon (speaker 18), a Petersboro resident, testified during the public hearing that the change would effectively increase his property taxes (he said the change equated to a 3.4% increase for his property) and criticized how the ordinance was described on the agenda. Council members responded that reallocating levies does not necessarily increase the overall tax burden countywide; the chair and staff offered to provide parcel-specific tax histories for any resident who wanted detail.

After discussion, a motion to suspend the rules and pass ordinance 2026-23 (enacting chapter 3.88 regarding levies) was made and passed by voice vote. Council members emphasized the ordinance is intended to equalize tax burdens and prevent residents of Logan City from subsidizing services they do not receive, while acknowledging the local perception challenges around property-value growth and apparent tax increases.

The ordinance passed on a voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded. Staff and the appropriations committee will continue to work on implementation details and communications to residents about what the reallocation means for individual parcels.