South Jordan council adopts 2026-27 budget and a new parks fee to fund maintenance and capital work

Mayor Dawn Ramsey and the South Jordan City Council approved the city's final budget for fiscal year 2026-27 on June 2 and added a new parks fee intended to create a dedicated pot of money for park maintenance and capital projects.

The mayor described the fee as designed to preserve parks and open space amid rising costs and growth, saying the fee "is $5.38 a month on a single-family home" and that the council had conducted "an immense amount of analysis" before choosing the amount. City staff said the multifamily rate will be lower, roughly $3.18 per unit, and that the charge will appear on utility bills beginning late July after the fee becomes effective July 1.

CFO Sunil Naidu told the council the budget adopts the certified tax rate once the county tax commission finalizes it and that there is no property tax increase proposed by the city this year. He described a modest change to development-fee accounting and updated salary assumptions for staff costs used to calculate fees.

Council members discussed how the parks fee will be accounted for. Naidu and other staff explained the fee cannot be treated as a self-supporting enterprise fund under the accounting rules the city follows (GASB guidance), but that receipts will be tracked as a dedicated line item in the budget and held for parks operations, maintenance (O&M) and capital projects. "Enterprise fund is treated just like a business," Naidu said, explaining why the city will instead create a transparent, stand-alone line on utility and budget reports. Staff estimated the fee will generate roughly $1 million annually for parks-related uses and that about $500,000 of capital spending tied to the parks master plan is planned as those funds grow.

Mayor Ramsey and council members emphasized that the fee is intended to protect parks when general fund demands rise and to ensure a baseline of maintenance and capital work is available. The council moved to adopt Resolution R-2026-11 (final budget) with Council Member Shelton making the motion and Council Member Maguire seconding. Roll-call voting recorded Shelton, Maguire, Harris, Johnson and Zander voting yes; the motion carried and the budget and fee were adopted.

The council and staff said they will continue to report the fee and its spending in city financial documents so residents can track how the revenue is used. The utility-bill implementation timing and budget reporting procedures were discussed in detail during the hearing; staff said any collected but unspent funds will be carried forward to future park projects.

What happens next: the fee takes effect July 1 and will start appearing on utility bills around late July or early August. The council said it will track the fund and apply it to O&M needs and phased capital projects consistent with the parks master plan.