Heat. Heat.
Hey,
honey.
Heat. Heat.
to the limited formal meeting for the
Salic County, the Salic City Council. I
don't know what that came from.
That's embarrassing.
>> I um maybe it's because I said county
» I um maybe it's because I said county
too many times today. Um so, welcome to
today's meeting. We're happy uh to have
you here whether you are in person or
joining us online. Uh we hope that you
continue to participate in whichever
manner you feel the most comfortable.
Today we are convening a limited formal
meeting which means that this is not a
standard formal meeting. Uh on June
16th, 2026 we adopted an uh interim tax
levy an interim budget. Tonight, the
council needs to consider action on the
on the final step in the annual budget
process for the city final budget
adoption and truth and taxation hearing
required by state law. Um, a truth and
taxation hearing happens when any of the
following takes place. The city raises
property taxes, property tax
stabilization, and judgment levy. The
city is adopting a property tax increase
to provide 13 uh,500,000
of additional atalum tax revenue
generated by the 9.16%
property tax increase. Additional tax
revenue is required for the city
operations outlined in the property tax
impact schedule including but not
limited into public safety, public
lands, youth and family programming,
public utility matters matters and the
city vehicle fleet maintenance.
Although the hearing is a formal step
required by state
by the state, the council is always
interested in hearing from the council.
Feedback from the public helps the
council make decisions in future budgets
or even amendments to this year's
budget. If you would like additional
information regarding the property tax
assessment, please visit the South Lake
County Treasurers website
www.saltcount.govtreasurer/
GV/treasurer/propy
taxes. Now, please join us for the
pledge of allegiance.
I aliance to the flag of the United
States of America and to the republic
for which it stands. One nation under
God, indivisible with liberty and
justice for all.
>> Thank you. Before we continue through
» Thank you. Before we continue through
the agenda, I want to quickly go through
the registration information
and share the reasoning about how and
why we chair these meetings the way we
do. We welcome everyone regardless of
your opinion or your side on an issue
because we will have people from varying
positions on important issues. The
council goal is to make the meeting a
place where where people feel safe and
comfortable participating. This is the
most local level of government and is a
key value of ours to ensure that we have
created a respectful and safe
environment so that no one is
intimidated out of free participation.
This also allows us to ensure that the
meeting can continue and that we can
conduct the schedule city business. We
invite each of you to contribute to this
space to speak your mind and to welcome
others do the same. In order to create
this welcome welcoming and safe space,
we will pause the meeting at any action
that causes a disruption to our ability
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concern involving threats or unprotected
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ability. Whether you agree or disagree
with someone's comment,
clapping, cheering, shouting, booing,
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discouraging others from commenting is
not allowed.
Just as a reminder, council members will
refrain from reacting or responding to
allow everyone to share their opinions
freely. This is to keep our reactions
from affecting your ability to share
your opinion freely. If you would like
to follow up with any of us, please see
council staff in this in this room or
you can message in zoom uh for contact
information. When making your comments,
please address the body and know an
individual elected official. If you have
a handout for the council, please raise
your hand and council will assist you.
Um staff is available during the meeting
and after too. Uh so if you have
questions or information that you you
seek uh if you want the council rules
that are posted on the chat and that are
also posted outside this room. Um just
as a reminder uh our public comment
registration process. Individuals might
register to comment on scheduled public
hearing items until the hearing is
closed. If you're in Zoom, you need to
unm unmute your microphone when your
name is called. Each person will have
two minutes. If you reach the two-minute
mark, the host will announce time and
your microphone will be muted. We'll be
calling those uh register in the order
of sign up. If you need assistance in
the room right here, please raise your
hand. Staff will assist you. If you need
assistance when you're online, contact
the administrator of the meeting and
they will assist you. If you have
technical issues, staff support and zoom
can assist you. Uh and that's ash from
our staff.
Just if you're able if you're not able
to share all your comment in those two
minutes, um you can send us the rest of
the comment uh via email. You can also
mail it to us. Um, and the contact
information for that is at
slc.govcounsel.
If you have a handout, please notify the
council staff uh before uh you begin.
So, let's uh begin with the the item on
the agenda, which is uh the truth in
taxation public hearing for fiscal year
2026 2027.
Um, before we begin taking comments, I'm
going to turn the time to Jennifer
Bruno, Council Executive Director, to
give us a short introduction. Jen, thank
you, Mr. Chair. Um, as you mentioned,
we're having a truth and taxation
hearing tonight as a requirement of
state law based on the proposed interim
fiscal year 2027 budget, which includes
$13.5 million in additional property tax
revenue. Uh the property tax impact
schedule which lists all of the proposed
uses for the proposed tax increase is on
our council website at
link.slc.govslcfy27.
Thank you.
>> Thank you Jennifer. Um
» Thank you Jennifer. Um
Isaac, please start with our first
public comment.
>> Thank you Mr. Chair. We have four people
» Thank you Mr. Chair. We have four people
registered to speak to this item. The
first will be Brooke Brin, followed by
Eric Miller, and then Susanna Arguo.
>> Um, so
I bought my house 1990 on the budget.
Let's move on quickly to the water bills
and the city bills.
In 2005, I paid
26, let's see,
$26.50
in the winter time for my bill. This
last month year,
$136.
It's up 523%.
In the summertime
in 2025, I paid a little over $40 for my
water bill. This year,
167 plus, up 417%.
I paid I used 30% less water this year
in June, 34% less in July, and I paid
more for both
>> time
Thank you.
Just as a reminder, please uh if you
haven't been able to finish your comment
and the two minutes, please make it uh
you have an opportunity to share with
staff to make it to us. Next comment
>> next will be Susanna Argu followed by R.
» next will be Susanna Argu followed by R.
Scott Birdsaw and then back to Brooke
Bren. Susanna is here in person.
>> Thank you to all. My name is Susan
» Thank you to all. My name is Susan
Arillio and I'm really happy to come to
again to Sole City, my favorite city
after I visit so many states because the
culture, the cleanness of the city, our
people, our government and diversity.
I I can tell you increasing the property
taxes will not be good at all. We know
that the increase of everything is up.
everything. But if we do that, many
people will decline in many ways. Will
it be poverty so much? Probably we can
reach 100% poverty plus and no able to
you know have the education that we
needed because we are paying the
property taxes. When that happen affect
everybody. The people who are renting
the places who already at this moment
they are facing so much struggles by
myself for instance you know I have my
degree I should be in better position
but what is going on right now I cannot
handle the financials right now because
everything is expensive. You can imagine
how much is increase in property. So the
owners of the property also increase the
rent. So I don't think so is is good to
do that because everything will be
increased. Our city that is wonderful
many people coming over the world to
live here because they say oh here is
amazing because they coming and see that
everything they can buy it. many people
from California scares thousands of
people but I believe that the government
do should do something because anything
is not anything about money is about the
good living to have good society
to care about people because we need a
good government that they can start up
for the people who really need it. Thank
you.
Next will be R. Scott Birdsaw followed
by Brooke Brin. R. Scott is here in
person.
Okay. So, I'm supposed to tell you my
name, R. Scott Birdsaw, and I live in
Mapleton, so I'm being taxed here
without representation.
Um,
I would really like to know why. I
didn't even realize this this is about a
water allocation if that's what it is.
I'm just going by what I was told on my
tax bill or my estimated tax bill that
just recently came.
I just don't understand why anything
needs to increase by 12% from one year
to the next.
And if you guys have got some material
for me to review, maybe it makes sense.
But at this point,
the fact that I get a notice from the
the tax collector
and I don't even know exactly what
category, it just says Salt Lake City is
going up 12%.
And there's also a uh
an issue for a what does it say? A
judgment levy that's being created out
of whole cloth. I don't know what that's
about either. It would be nice if we
knew those things and then maybe we
could discuss them, but it sounds like a
decision is about to be made without me
knowing anything about what the decision
really involves.
» And next will be Brook Brin who is here
in person.
I'm Brooke Bren, a mother sold bread
maker and homeowner in Rose Park.
Despite my family's economic
desperation, I currently have $25 in my
bank account. I'm not here to complain
about the increased taxes. I'm here
because I feel trust has been betrayed.
I want to trust the city.
If there was a way, I would want to
donate.
But the budget betrays the city's trust
in three major ways.
Matt, uh, the most significant tax
increases, police,
uh, not tax, budget increases, the
increased budget feels like it's paired
with the increased taxes. So, uh,
police, mass surveillance, and the
justice system. We have a 5% increase to
the police budget, which is one of the
most significant sections of the city
budget. Uh, living in Rose Park, many of
my law-abiding neighbors fear the
police. I was confused by that for a
while until I realized that a lot of my
high school bullies are cops.
And then I saw that cops are about twice
as likely to beat their wives. I can't
help but wonder how many cops enjoy the
violence and their qualified immunity.
About $500,000 of that police budget
will increase
um the funding to flock cameras. Why are
we handing the reigns of mass
surveillance over to known abusers?
We already hear stories of cops using it
to stalk their exes.
Besides, I thought a hearing for this
was scheduled for September 15th.
Is that hearing simply theater?
Have you already decided?
There's a bunch more, but
please, if you're not going to allocate
the funds yourselves, allow people who
care to donate.
That was the final register commenter
for this item.
» Thank you all of those that made
comments. Uh, and I need a motion.
» Mr. Chair, I move that the council close
the public hearing and adopt an
ordinance approving the final tax final
rate of tax levy for all city funds,
including the library fund on all real
and personal property within Salt Lake
City, made taxable by law for fiscal
year 2026 27.
» Second.
>> Council member Dugan for the motion and
» Council member Dugan for the motion and
council member Petro for the second. Um,
is there any discussion?
Council member W.
just appreciate the people who came out
to speak. Um we did in the our budget
adoption t adopting the tenative budget
talked a lot about um the issues facing
the city, the affordability issues that
we're facing. Um I don't want to repeat
those. Um those are are part of the
public record from the last meeting. I
hope that you'll take a minute to listen
to them. I'm also willing to stay and
answer a few questions um after this
meeting. People have them. Thank you.
>> I
» I
thank you for for for your comments, uh,
Council Member Warden. I I do want to
run down, um, you know, that this and I
know that for the discussions, uh, to
the lengthy discussions this year on the
budget, um, they were not easy. Um, I'm
trying to, uh, balance the budget with
less revenue and increasing cost. And I
remember some of the facts and I was
trying to look at them because they were
so shocking. Um the the you know asphalt
that everybody you know is asking us all
the time for better streets used to cost
$44 a ton in 2020 and now it cost you
know $64 a ton right for us. Um and the
the the price of gas for our own
vehicles um has increased and the cost
of equipment for firefighters you know
went up a third. Um and then trying to
balance the needs of a growing city with
less revenue uh created a lot of
you know created uh constraints and and
uh competing uh competing needs. Um, and
I I do appreciate the administration and
and pretty much fi finding, you know,
$13 million in savings and and looking
into every single department and trying
to reduce the budget to see if we can
make it without an increase. Um, and and
uh, you know, it turned out to be that
it was not possible with with the budget
that we had in front of us. and and um
there is the impact to all of our
neighbors is heavy. Um and I don't think
anybody here took it lightly. Um and if
the many discussions we had in the last
few months, uh there are public records
of them. Um we we we struggle a lot in
trying to find consensus and find a
budget that makes sense. Um and uh I um
I appreciate the discussions and it's
not lost on on any of us and certainly
not not to me about how hard it is to
make ends meet uh in in this in this uh
time. So I wanted to end with that at
least for me. Um I uh I appreciate
everybody. I have a motion by council
member Dugan and a second by council
member Petro. All those in favor say I.
I.
>> I.
» I.
>> Any oppose? Any abstensions?
» Any oppose? Any abstensions?
Okay, this motion carries unanimously.
This concludes our limited formal city
council meeting. This meeting now is
adjourned.
>> Now is not adjourned.
Council close the public hearing and
adopt an ordinance approving the final
budget for Salt Lake City for fiscal
year 2026 2027, including the property
tax increase outlined in the property
tax impact schedule. The final budget
action includes a tax rate adjustment
exceeding the certified tax rate and
will release revenue funds received
through the tax rate increase from the
restricted fund created at the time of
the interim budget adoption.
>> Second. I have a motion by council
» Second. I have a motion by council
member Warden and a second by council
member Dugan. Is there any discussion?
» Going to call the question. All those in
favor say I.
>> I.
» I.
>> I.
» I.
>> Any oppose? Any abstensions?
» Any oppose? Any abstensions?
This motion carries unanimously. Sorry
for the confusion. This is a new
process. It's a new process that the
state has required us to do right now.
So I um it's my fault for not paying
attention. So um that motion carries
unanimously.
Uh and now uh this time is correct. This
concludes our limited formal city
council meeting. This meeting now stands
adjourned.