American Fork council adopts proposed 9% property-tax increase, sets Aug. 11 Truth in Taxation hearing

The American Fork City Council voted unanimously on June 16 to adopt a proposed 9% increase to the city's certified general tax rate and to set a Truth in Taxation public hearing for 7 p.m. on Aug. 11, 2026. Council Member Ryan Hunter moved to approve the resolution; Council Member Tim Holley seconded and the motion passed with all five members present voting yes.

City staff said the proposed increase would raise the city's certified general tax rate from .001395 to .001516 and is expected to generate approximately $660,000 earmarked for staffing a new fire station. "The City's certified general tax rate was .001395," Ms. Montoya told the Council, adding that "the proposed 9% increase ... would establish a proposed general tax rate of .001516." Staff explained that the increase cannot be spent until after the Truth in Taxation hearing and final adoption; if the Council adopts a lower final rate in August, the budget would have to be amended to align expenditures with available revenue.

The proposal is intended to help fund firefighter salaries needed to staff the new station; staff estimated the full annual cost of the new station at roughly $1.5 million to $1.6 million and said the proposed 9% increase would cover about $660,000 of that amount. Mayor Bradley J. Frost and several council members framed the vote as a procedural step that allows the City to meet the state's filing deadline while retaining the public hearing and final-adoption process before any tax is collected.