Christy McIntosh says she was warned of one thing as soon as she moved to Cache Valley.
“Everyone knows,” McIntosh said, “you don’t speed at all in Mantua.”
She isn’t the only resident to say this. The small northern Utah town, nestled within Sardine Canyon, has developed a reputation for being especially watchful when it comes to traffic enforcement.
A recent audit by the Office of the Utah State Auditor gives some continuing support to the local legend: Traffic fines accounted for 13% of Mantua’s general fund in 2024, a percentage that placed it second-highest in the state.
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Still, its revenue, along with that of the rest of the state, is fully in compliance with a relatively new state law — well under its 25% cap.
Several other northern Utah municipalities also made the list for having the state’s highest percentages of revenues generated by traffic fines. Sunset was No. 1, at 14.8%. Wellsville was third at 12.1%, followed by Orderville Town and Willard. Holladay, Box Elder County and Vernal also made the list.
Mantua’s reputation dates back years, and senators had jokingly called SB75 “the Mantua bill” before a vote in 2022.
Rural northern Utah towns dominated the ranking due to their size and fewer sources of revenue, said Seth Oveson, local government manager for the auditor’s office.
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
“If you are a bigger city and had more activity in that general fund,” Oveson said, “then the total general fund revenue would be higher and the percentage of fines as a percentage of that would naturally be lower.”
The Office of the Utah State Auditor releases an annual audit of traffic fine revenue collected by justice courts to determine whether municipalities complied with the law limiting those revenues to 25% of the general fund. This is the second year the office has conducted the audit.
So far, no city has exceeded — or even come close to — the cap.
“Our local government division is diligent in its review of all levels of local governments — towns, cities, counties, school and special districts — to ensure statutory compliance,” Auditor Tina Cannon said in news release.
“This report ensures all municipalities are complying,” she said, “and provides them and the legislature with accurate information as they plan and set policies.”
