[0:04] Okay, welcome. It is Wednesday, August
19th, 2026.
[0:09] It is 7:00 p.m. The Tooele City Council
is holding a public hearing regarding
[0:14] truth in taxation during our business
meeting
[0:17] at Tooele City Hall in the council
chambers located at 90 North Main Street
[0:21] in Tooele, Utah. We're also streaming
this electronically on our Tooele City
[0:25] YouTube channel.
And for the truth in taxation public
[0:28] hearing, the public may make oral
comments by participating in either in
[0:32] person at Tooele City Hall or
electronically via a Microsoft Teams
[0:37] link at tooelecity.gov
that has been posted on our website. And
[0:41] then the comments will be limited to no
more than 3 minutes per person.
[0:46] We will start with the pledge of
allegiance. If you'll please rise and
[0:49] repeat after me.
[0:52] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the
[0:58] republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[1:04] justice for all.
[1:08] » [clears throat]
>> Thank you. Our second item is a roll
[1:11] call. Councilman Gossett.
>> Present.
[1:13] » Councilwoman Goches.
>> Present.
[1:15] » Councilman Hanson.
>> Present.
[1:16] » Councilman McCall.
>> Present.
[1:17] » And Councilman Brady, and I'm also
present.
[1:20] Item three is a presentation of the
proposed property tax increase. Uh it's
[1:25] Tooele City's proposed tax rate increase
will generate an additional $238,092
[1:31] in property tax revenue per year as a
result of this increase. And the
[1:35] additional property tax revenue will be
used to fund $138,092
[1:40] towards the judgment levy bond payments
increase and $100,000 for the fire
[1:45] department to fund stipends for
volunteers, as well as an administrative
[1:49] assistant for the department. And then
we'll [clears throat] have a
[1:51] presentation by Shannon Wimmer, the
finance director.
[1:55] » Uh good evening, Council. Um Chairman
Brady, you just did my presentation for
[1:59] me on this item, so I appreciate that.
Um, this item is strictly just to make
[2:03] [snorts] sure that the public is aware
of what the purpose of the meeting is
[2:06] tonight, um, and how we intend to use,
uh, these additional funds that we're
[2:11] asking for for the increase of the
certified tax rate. So, this this agenda
[2:16] item was just to read those statements.
Um,
[2:19] so I appreciate that.
>> You're welcome. I wasn't sure if I was
[2:22] supposed to read it or you, so. Okay,
perfect. We'll move on to item four,
[2:26] which is a property tax impact schedule
for fiscal year 2026 through 2027,
[2:32] presented by Shannon Wimmer, the finance
director.
[2:35] » And this property tax impact schedule,
um, there are hard copies available here
[2:40] tonight. It's also on our website if
anybody would like to review this, but
[2:44] this is just a document prepared for the
public again just to, um, try and make
[2:49] it clear to them what the city is asking
for with this, uh,
[2:52] tax increase, um, and where the funds
will go, how much the funds will be, and
[2:56] how much this will impact our residents.
So, [clears throat] as you can see from
[3:00] this table, our certified tax rate was
calculated to be .002527.
[3:06] Tooele City is asking for a rate of
.002590.
[3:12] Uh, that would, um, increase our revenue
that we will be given through property
[3:16] tax by $238,092.
[3:20] If we take a median value for Tooele
City, our median value right now in the
[3:25] city for a residential property is
$382,162.
[3:30] So, in 1 year, um,
this will increase their taxes $13.24
[3:37] or $1.10 per month. That is a 2.49%
increase. On a commercial property, uh,
[3:46] they don't have the 55% tax exemption,
so the median value right now for a
[3:51] commercial property within Tooele City
is 513,900.
[3:55] Um so this would be an increase per year
of $1,331
[4:01] or $32.38
per year
[4:04] on those properties. So that is the
impact to the taxpayer.
[4:08] And how we intend to use those funds, we
intend to use those funds $138,092
[4:15] uh to pay the increased payment on the
judgment levy on that bond that we have.
[4:20] And then an additional 100,000 will go
towards funding the additional funds for
[4:25] the fire department, which they intend
to use to implement some stipends for
[4:31] these volunteers. And also to um hire an
administrative assistant for the
[4:36] department as we all are aware of the in
the increase that they are experiencing
[4:41] as a department. Um we feel like this is
the least we can do to keep them as a
[4:46] volunteer fire department and and help
out with what they need.
[4:50] So that's that's where the property
taxes will come from and where they will
[4:53] go.
And that's all I had on um that line
[4:57] unless anybody has any questions.
>> Okay, are there any questions or
[5:00] comments?
[5:03] Okay, we will move on to item five,
which is a public hearing and motion on
[5:06] resolution 2026-61.
A resolution of the Tooele City Council
[5:11] adopting the final tax rate for fiscal
year 2026 through 2027.
[5:16] This is presented by Shannon Wimmer, the
finance director.
[5:20] » Uh and again, this is uh just a
resolution that says that we will adopt
[5:24] the tax rate of 0.002590,
uh which is an increase over the
[5:28] certified tax rate of 2.49%.
>> Okay, thank you, Shannon.
[5:34] Okay, this item has a public hearing. So
since we have people
[5:38] here in the building and people online,
we'll start with the people in the
[5:42] building. So I'm opening up the public
hearing.
[5:45] Uh we ask that you state your name into
the microphone. you keep your comments
[5:48] to 3 minutes or less, and then there's a
paper by Shiloh that you'll have to
[5:51] sign. The time is now the public's.
[6:06] Okay, seeing no one come up forward at
City Hall, I will open it up to anyone
[6:11] on Teams.
You're welcome to raise your hand on the
[6:15] Teams meeting, and then Shiloh will have
to unmute you. So, the time is now the
[6:19] public's on the Teams meeting as well.
[6:31] Okay, seeing no one raise your hand on
that
[6:35] on Microsoft Teams, I will close the
public hearing, and I will entertain a
[6:39] motion.
[6:42] » Uh Mr. Chair, I make a motion we uh
we approve approve resolutions 2026-61,
[6:48] a resolution of the Tooele City Council
adopting the final tax rate for fiscal
[6:52] year 2026 and 27.
>> Second.
[6:55] » We have a [clears throat] motion from
Councilman Hansen and a second from
[6:58] Councilman McCall. We'll take it to a
vote. Councilman McCall?
[7:01] » Aye.
>> Councilman Hansen?
[7:03] » Aye.
>> Councilwoman Goches?
[7:04] » Aye.
>> Councilman Gosewisch?
[7:05] » Aye.
>> I'm Councilman Brady, and I vote aye.
[7:08] That passes 5-0.
And item six is a public hearing and
[7:11] motion on resolution 2026-62,
a resolution of the Tooele City Council
[7:17] adopting the final budget for Tooele
City for fiscal year 2026 through 2027,
[7:23] presented by Shannon Wimmer, the finance
director.
[7:27] » Tonight, I just have a brief
presentation. We have
[7:31] um done public presentations on the
budget when we first presented the
[7:34] tentative budget on May 6th. We then had
a more in-depth budget presentation on
[7:39] June 17th. So, hopefully the public has
been able to review those
[7:44] um and had time to
um ask us any questions that they might
[7:47] have on the budget. I would also just
like to point out that there are hard
[7:51] copies of the budget here
um on the back table if anybody would
[7:54] like to look through that document. It
is also on our website, so I would
[7:58] encourage the public to review the
public budget. They've made it very easy
[8:03] um to read through and learn about where
your where your funds are going and
[8:06] we're always happy to answer questions,
so I would encourage anybody who has any
[8:10] questions to contact me
um and I'm happy to discuss anything
[8:14] they would like
um on the budget. We also have a copy of
[8:18] the combined tax ad, which is here on
the table as well.
[8:22] Um that's just a required document by
the state that will show every entity in
[8:26] Tooele County that is raising your taxes
this year and how much they are and when
[8:30] their public hearings are. Um so, I just
want to point out that that's also
[8:33] available here.
Um so, tonight I just kind of have a
[8:37] brief presentation
um
[8:40] for for the public's benefit and I will
apologize if they've seen this before,
[8:43] but um this will just kind of give you
some highlights about what this budget
[8:47] contains, what its goals are, what it
accomplishes
[8:51] um so that the public can have that
information before the comment period um
[8:55] for the public hearing.
So, the first thing in the budget is
[8:59] always the the mayor's budget message.
So, um just some highlights that are
[9:04] within that message is it describes
Tooele City's financial policies. Um our
[9:08] financial policies continue to emphasize
fiscal discipline, careful evaluation of
[9:13] expenditures, maintaining service
levels, and promoting economic
[9:17] development to broaden the tax base, and
reduce the burden on residents.
[9:21] Uh some of the key features of the
budget that you'll see in that document
[9:24] is to address the rising costs due to
inflation,
[9:28] funding for the volunteer fire
department and the police,
[9:31] maintain critical infrastructure to
ensure reliable service and avoiding
[9:35] more costly repairs in the future.
Some of the changes from the previous
[9:40] year, we do have additions for increased
service demands which includes an
[9:44] ordinance enforcement position, public
safety staffing, increased investment in
[9:49] infrastructure maintenance, and critical
improvements and community projects.
[9:55] Um, are any financial policy changes?
Um,
[9:58] we don't really have any changes, but we
prioritize conservative budgeting
[10:01] practices, maintain stable tax rates
where possible, invest in essential
[10:06] infrastructure, and to support economic
development efforts.
[10:11] And then this is just a chart to kind of
show how new [clears throat] growth and
[10:16] how we collect property taxes. So each
year the way the property tax works, um,
[10:22] it doesn't account for inflation or any
other factors. Um, we get the exact same
[10:27] amount of money each year.
So
[10:31] plus any additional new developments. So
an individual taxpayer's rate may change
[10:37] if the value of their home changes, or
that's how they set the rate. So just as
[10:42] rough numbers, if we received a million
dollars last year, this year they would
[10:46] say okay, you receive a million dollars,
and so what does the tax rate need to
[10:50] be, and then they figure out the tax
rate and how that that affects each
[10:53] homeowner. But Tooele a city does not
get any additional growth. That's why
[10:57] the certified tax rate is calculated by
the state, and it can go up and down.
[11:02] They are just that rate is just to
ensure that we don't receive any
[11:05] additional funds that is not new growth
without going through the truth and
[11:09] taxation process.
So if we need any additional funds such
[11:13] as this 238,000 that we are asking for
tonight, um, the only way to do that is
[11:18] through this public process,
um, to involve the public and let them
[11:22] know what we're asking for, where we
intend to spend it,
[11:26] um,
and how it will impact our taxpayers
[11:30] based on their home value.
Um so, while some homeowners may see a
[11:34] change without truth and taxation,
um
[11:39] the city doesn't see any change. So,
hopefully that that makes sense. It is
[11:43] really confusing. We always have a hard
time
[11:46] explaining that, but um that's the way
that growth works.
[11:51] So, we have our budget priorities. Um we
want to fund ongoing expenses such as
[11:55] personnel, operation and maintenance,
and day-to-day operations to provide our
[11:59] city services.
So, right now included in our operating
[12:02] budget, we have increases in salaries
and benefits for step increases and cola
[12:07] adjustment.
We also added those three new positions,
[12:10] um which is including an additional
officer, an administrative assistant for
[12:14] the fire department, and a position in
the IT department.
[12:18] This includes stipends for the fire
department to address the growing
[12:22] demands on the volunteer fire department
and to try and maintain that volunteer
[12:26] status.
We have increases in the operating
[12:30] budget mainly to address just increased
cost due to fuel and inflationary costs.
[12:36] And then the second part of the budget,
we have the capital projects and
[12:39] equipment.
[12:44] Yes. Sorry.
[12:47] So, we have capital projects and
equipment. These are just some
[12:50] highlights. Obviously, we have more than
this.
[12:53] Um but some of the projects that the
public can look forward to, we're
[12:56] getting some overhead lighting in the
aquatic center.
[13:00] Um we
are already working on I'm not even sure
[13:03] it might already be done, but the net
and the driving range repair at the pump
[13:06] station at the golf.
Uh we have some museum and park
[13:10] upgrades. We need a chiller replacement
at the library.
[13:14] The police department will be getting a
digital forensics tool and some taser
[13:18] software.
Uh we need an aerial lift for the public
[13:21] buildings. And then of course, just our
regular mason our regular um replacement
[13:26] of autos and trucks for the departments
to keep them running for their daily
[13:29] use.
Um, that's that's what I have on the
[13:33] budget. Um, so I'll leave the rest of Is
there any questions before we start the
[13:37] public hearing?
>> Any questions or comments?
[13:41] » I do.
>> Okay, thanks Shannon.
[13:43] » Thank you.
>> Okay, this item also has a public
[13:46] hearing. We will open the time up to the
public. We ask that you state your name
[13:51] into the microphone. You keep your
comments to 3 minutes or less and then
[13:55] then sign the paper by Shilo. The time
is now the public's.
[14:11] Okay, seeing no one come forward, I will
offer the same amount of time to those
[14:17] attending on Teams. So, if you're on
Teams and you'd like to make a public
[14:21] comment, then just raise your hand and
Shilo will unmute you.
[14:29] » Question in the audience?
>> Okay, it looks like we do have someone
[14:32] on the Teams.
[14:37] So, if you'll just state your name once
you're unmuted and then keep your
[14:41] comments to 3 minutes or less. The time
is now yours.
[14:51] » Um, my name is Lynn.
I do not have a comment
[14:55] for what was just talked about.
The online audio is fading in and out. I
[15:00] can't hear anything that your speakers
are saying. I can hear everybody sitting
[15:04] next to you,
but you can't hear anything from the
[15:08] your other speakers. So,
whatever they said just faded in and
[15:12] out, crackled, and
I have no idea what they were just
[15:16] talking about.
>> Okay, thank you. Can you hear me when
[15:20] I'm speaking? It was just the
presentation you couldn't hear?
[15:23] » Just the presentation. I heard
everybody's vote say I on the
[15:27] » Okay.
>> passing of the
[15:28] Yeah, I can hear everybody but the
speaker.
[15:31] » Okay.
[15:35] Okay. The presentation's also on
YouTube.
[15:39] Um I don't know if we
Is there a way that we can show it on
[15:43] Teams or is it
Well, I guess can they see the screen on
[15:47] there?
on Teams?
[15:51] » Yes.
>> Okay, but you probably can't see the
[15:54] screen very well, right?
>> Uh it's faded. It says there's 2 minute
[15:58] and 4 seconds left. I can read the
screen behind you.
[16:02] And I can see all of you sitting there.
[16:10] » Okay. Shilo, our city recorder is saying
that the presentations are available on
[16:16] YouTube. We're streaming this also on
YouTube.
[16:19] And we don't believe there was any
issues on the YouTube channel.
[16:39] Okay.
[16:43] Did someone in the back Did you want to
make a public comment?
[16:46] » Actually, I have a question.
>> You have to come to the mic and
[16:51] it's the only way for us to get it on
the audio.
[16:55] And you'll have to state your name.
>> Okay, my name is Bella Martinez.
[17:00] I just have a question.
>> Will you just pull the mic down just cuz
[17:02] we're having
>> Okay, I just have a question. As I look
[17:06] at the
budgets and look at the different areas,
[17:11] I'm just I'm confused. So, for example,
the police department
[17:17] I don't understand why the benefits
are decreased.
[17:23] It seems to me, I know we don't want our
budget to go up, the cost to go up, but
[17:28] it seems to me
that uh
[17:31] benefits would increase. Now, they do
increase for the fire department from
[17:38] uh the budget of 2026 181,000
and it for 2027
[17:45] the recommendation is that is 301,000,
but almost every other department it's
[17:51] decreased. So, could you just explain
that to me?
[17:57] » Yeah, let us So, let us finish the
public comment period and then we'll
[18:02] we'll address your question, okay?
>> Thank you.
[18:10] » Oh, sorry, you ma'am, you'll have to
sign the paper per by Shiloh over here.
[18:17] Okay.
Seeing no one else come forward for the
[18:20] public hearing, I'm going to close the
public hearing and then we'll turn the
[18:23] time back over to the council and
Shannon to address this question.
[18:28] I don't know if you know off the top of
your head, Shannon, if
[18:32] if you can answer that question. I don't
have it in front of me. I'm trying to
[18:35] find it.
>> generally
[18:37] the benefits can fluctuate quite a bit.
The vast majority of the changes in that
[18:41] account is based on whether or not we
have employees that take family uh
[18:47] medical leave or excuse me, family
insurance or single insurance. And so,
[18:52] um that's as you know, insurance is one
of our biggest benefit costs. And so, if
[18:56] we have a few officers that have
switched from family coverage to single
[18:59] as as some officers leave and new
officers come on, um we also if we have
[19:04] open positions, we always budget that
they will take family coverage, but when
[19:09] they actually come on, if they actually
only need single coverage, There's a big
[19:13] difference in what in what we pay
depending on how they elect, but the
[19:16] vast majority of the decrease because
their retirement and those types of
[19:21] benefits they were not decreasing. So,
when there's a decrease in that account,
[19:24] it's basically just the election that
the employees have on whether or not
[19:29] they are taking family coverage
uh for their medical insurance or
[19:32] single.
>> Okay.
[19:35] Thank you.
Is there any other discussion
[19:38] from the council or any other questions,
concerns?
[19:43] » Did that answer your question?
>> What's that?
[19:47] » Can we ask if that answered your
question?
[19:51] » I did I you know, I just I think we got
a really good budget here and I
[19:54] appreciate Shiloh and them putting
together and
[19:57] I think overall it looks really good.
I don't have no no negative thoughts
[20:01] about it.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
[20:04] Yeah, I agree. Uh I don't know if the
public knows, but we start the the
[20:08] budget process early in the year. We do
try to be as transparent as possible. I
[20:12] know there's some people who don't think
it is transparent, but we we did our
[20:17] best to get the public involved as we
were having discussions. Um I remember I
[20:20] wrote a newsletter that's sent out to
everyone letting them know that
[20:25] we were considering
raising taxes and that was several
[20:28] months ago. So, we really do try our
best to
[20:31] to try to let the public know what we're
planning and why we're doing it and uh
[20:35] just a thank you to the fire department.
Um you being a volunteer fire department
[20:39] does save the city hundreds of thousands
and millions of dollars a year and we
[20:43] hope to continue to support you the best
that we can.
[20:46] Okay, any other comments?
[20:50] Okay, I will entertain a motion.
[20:56] » Mr. Chair, I'll make a motion that we
approve resolution 2026-62,
[21:01] a resolution that the Tooele City
Council adopting the final budget for
[21:05] the Tooele City for fiscal year 2026-27.
>> I'll second that.
[21:11] » We have a motion from Councilwoman
Gochis and a second from Councilman
[21:14] Gossett. We'll take it to a vote.
Councilman Gossett.
[21:17] » Aye.
>> Councilwoman Gochis.
[21:18] » Aye.
>> Councilman Hansen.
[21:20] » Aye.
>> Councilman McCall.
[21:22] » Aye.
>> I'm Councilman Brady and I vote aye.
[21:25] That passes 5-0.
And item seven is to adjourn at 7:21
[21:30] p.m.