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Council urges public to attend town halls on proposed rural health (E‑911) tax ahead of November ballot
Summary
Council discussed the county's proposed rural health tax to fund mandated E‑911 CAD upgrades and additional dispatch staffing, encouraged residents to attend the June 30 town hall in Manti, and described how the tax could place up to 1% on some non‑food purchases and rely on visitor spending for part of revenue.
The Manti City Council spent substantial time at its June 17 meeting reviewing a county proposal for a rural health tax to fund a state‑mandated upgrade to a consolidated computer‑aided dispatch (CAD) system and to ensure a minimum of two dispatchers on duty 24/7.
Chair said the county’s initial proposal to divide remaining costs per capita among cities and towns drew pushback from mayors; the rural health tax was presented as an alternative that could place up to a 1% levy on some non‑food retail purchases, with staff estimating roughly 20% of revenue could come from visitors rather than residents. The county will host a town hall in Manti on June 30; council members urged people to attend that meeting or other town halls in the coming weeks to learn specifics and ask questions.
Council members noted the mandate is unfunded at the state level and that a failure to approve local funding could force smaller cities to shift more costs to municipal budgets. The council emphasized the goal of preserving local dispatch services rather than migrating dispatch to a remote center, which they said could increase cost and reduce local control.
Councilors recommended public attendance and engagement; several said their own communities had varied turnout at prior town halls and asked residents to participate in the deliberation before November’s ballot.
