This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Herriman residents will see fewer items on their utility bills, with the City Council voting Thursday to roll public safety funding over to a property tax.
Herriman became the second city in two days to request affiliation in the Unified Police Department taxing district, following Riverton's vote to join Tuesday.
Joining the district will mean residents pay more in property taxes but will abolish the monthly $25-per-household public safety fee the city currently uses to fund police services.
The fee, which comes as a line item on the water bill, has been an annoyance to residents for years, said Councilman Matt Robinson. Switching from a fee to a tax is expected to allow residents to pay less, though the exact amounts still need to be worked out.
"It was a monthly reminder that you have to pay for public safety," Councilman Mike Day said of the fee. "People don't mind so much when we only ask them once a year at tax time."
The vote is only the beginning of the affiliation process, said city spokeswoman Nicole Martin, with a final vote by the taxing entity expected in December. The city can pull its request at any time until the final vote.
Residents will be involved in the decision process, Martin said, with public hearings and a public protest period on the schedule. Residents can also learn more about the proposal through social media and on the city's website, she said.
Funding public safety through a property tax is more stable than through fees or sales taxes, which can change with the shifting economy, UPD chief Jim Winder told The Salt Lake Tribune last month. When sales taxes drop, it can mean across-the-board cuts and fewer officers on the streets.
"I think a lot of people are concerned that we don't have enough officers," said council member Raquel De Luca, expressing her support for stability in the funding source. "Public safety is the most important thing."
Twitter: @Katie_Drake