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Brian Head council drops proposed $150,000 property tax increase from FY2027 budget
Summary
After public comment and council discussion about local economic pressures and recent heavy snow seasons, Brian Head Town Council directed staff to remove a proposed $150,000 property tax increase from the FY2027 budget and to seek alternative funding for road maintenance.
Mayor Clayton Calloway and the Brian Head Town Council decided to remove a proposed $150,000 property tax increase from the town's FY2027 tentative budget and directed staff to pursue alternative funding options for road maintenance.
The tentative budget presented by Town Treasurer Shane Williamson included a proposed $150,000 tax increase—an estimated 12.85 percent increase to the proposed tax rate—intended to fund an annual transfer from the general fund to the capital fund to support the pavement management plan and gravel road maintenance. The tentative budget had also added about $10,000 to the Brian Head Days budget to fund a drone show.
During the public hearing, cabin owner Thom Thompson questioned the rationale for a tax increase, saying he owns "a cabin in Rainbow Meadows and receives no town services, relying on the county for trash collection." Town Manager Bret Howser clarified that the proposed increase would affect only properties inside Brian Head town limits and that property owners outside the town are not subject to the town levy.
Council members said the timing felt wrong given two difficult snow seasons, pressure on local businesses, and rising costs for residents. Council Member Larry Freeberg said alternative funding should be identified so the town does not face the same gap in the future; Council Member Martin Tidwell and Council Member Logan Cruz voiced concern that community support for a tax increase was lacking and favored delaying any vote. Council Member Duane Nyen encouraged staff to find lower-cost approaches to road work and said he had committed $40,000 from contingency to purchase road-processing equipment that could produce the equivalent of 2.5 miles of subgrade material at lower cost.
Town staff noted that planned paving work on Ridgeview, Steam Engine and other streets this summer and next would likely exhaust the town's accumulated capital road funds, and that snow removal expenses—about $100,000 annually for plow blades and salt—further strain road budgets.
By consensus, the Council directed staff to remove the property tax increase from the FY2027 budget and to return June 9 with a budget that omits the increase while continuing to explore other funding mechanisms and lower-cost maintenance strategies. The budget adoption was scheduled for the Council's June 9 meeting.
