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Springdale begins FY2026-27 budget work session, opts for conservative revenue projection
Summary
Town staff presented a draft FY2026-27 budget that assumes flat revenues amid visitation uncertainty; council discussed depreciation, sewer filtration compliance, water-line redundancy, road design needs and event funding including Zion Chalk & Earth Fest.
Town staff presented the draft FY2026-27 budget at the April 22 special meeting and recommended a conservative approach: rather than projecting the historical ~5% revenue growth, staff modeled flat revenues because visitation-driven taxes are uncertain.
"Staff chose to project flat revenues to take a more conservative budgeting approach due to uncertainty surrounding visitation-driven tax revenues," Town Manager Thomas Dansie said. Treasurer Dawn Brecke explained the town’s approach to depreciation: "depreciation is to set aside money to replace whatever in the system needs to be replaced." Council members discussed that the town’s enterprise funds are affected by utility rates and impact fees and that the final automatic utility rate increase is scheduled to take effect in January 2027.
Council members also raised specific infrastructure and service items: the sewer filtration project has not delivered the expected TSS reductions and currently requires annual chemical treatment, prompting discussion of whether sewer rates and long-term capital work need reassessment. Staff highlighted planned capital projects such as Big Springs Road design (design year 1, construction year 2–3), a Balance Rock drainage study to identify runoff sources and mitigation options, and a remaining water-line connection that would provide redundancy tied to Zion National Park and town storage tanks.
On facilities, staff reviewed a previously purchased 2-acre Lion Boulevard parcel intended for municipal campus expansion and a possible medical clinic; the initial master site planning and design are offset by a Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity grant and are included across two budget years. Parks and events funding was discussed: Ryan Gubler requested approximately $22,000 net for Zion Chalk & Earth Fest (counting a $3,000 sponsor contribution), and council discussed RAP-tax priorities for arts and signature events.
Council directed staff to prioritize fund-balance preservation, to return with follow-up analyses on depreciation and utility rates where needed, and to continue evaluating grants and external funding opportunities for capital projects.
