This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Taylorsville • Mayor Russ Wall on Wednesday proposed bumping up the city's share of property tax by about 36 percent in fiscal 2013 to fill a budget shortfall.
Wall also recommended contracting for law enforcement services with the Unified Police Department (UPD), a move he estimates would save the city $721,033 in the 2012-2013 budget year that begins July 1. The 60 police officers now employed by Taylorsville would retain their positions under UPD.
The mayor recommended a total budget of about $22.3 million: $21,460,705 million in the general fund (an increase of $30,761 from the previous year), $200,000 for capital improvement and $660,700 for debt service.
The tax increase — projected to raise nearly $1.5 million — would add $5.83 a month, or $69.96 a year, to Taylorsville's assessment on a residence valued at $197,000, the average price of a home in the west-side suburb of 60,000. The current city property tax on a home of that price is now $16.97 a month, or $203.64.
Wall said that although sales tax revenue has started to rebound, the cost of providing services also has risen. The tax bump "is necessary to continue to provide the essential levels of public safety, public works municipal services, pay for increased fuel and materials costs and to invest in economic development activities that will revitalize our commercial base," he told the City Council in presenting his proposed budget.
A proposal last year by Wall for a $25 to $50 annual property tax increase was rejected 3-2 by the City Council. The last property tax increase imposed by the city was in 2006. Taylorsville's property tax is about 14 percent of the total bill; the rest is assessed by other entities.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC —
Effects of proposed boost
Taylorsville Mayor Russ Wall's proposed budget includes:
Total budget • $22.3 million
Proposed tax increase • Would add $5.83 a month, or $69.96 a year on a residence valued at $197,000
Projected revenue for the city • About $1.5 million