PROPERTY TAXES IN TREMONTON AND TRUTH IN TAXATION
Property taxes are the financial backbone of local governments. These taxes help provide a stable source of funding for essential services that we all rely on. Services such as police and fire protection, public works, parks, roads, the library, the senior center, and other important services.
Budget expenditures as a percent of the total General Fund during FY2024.
This year, the Tremonton City Council is proposing an increase to the city’s portion of the property tax assessment by 50.2 percent. This amount equates to an increase in property tax revenue for Tremonton City of $1.02 million and will help fund five new positions in our police department (one sergeant, three officers, and one civilian office staff), the funding will also provide the necessary vehicles, personal gear, equipment, fuel, and building upgrades for these new officers to do their job. Additionally, the proposed property tax city will fund a city planner to help the city allocate its resources in a smart and thoughtful future. The only opportunity for the city to increase property tax revenue is through the public hearing process called Truth in Taxation.
To better explain the financial impact of the proposed property tax increase, the following chart shows the current and proposed property tax for homes appraised from $300k to $600K. For example, if your home is valued at $400,000, the Tremonton City portion of your 2023 property tax, without the increase, would be approximately $445.06. With the proposed property tax increase, Tremonton’s portion of the 2023 tax bill would increase by $223.30 to $668.36. or $18.61 ($223.30/12) per month. Property tax is proportional and will impact homes differently depending on their assessed value as shown below.
Current and Proposed Property Tax Increase (City’s Portion) for Different
Home Values for Tremonton
The chart, “Budgeted Revenue from Property Tax”, shows the growth in property tax revenue from 2010 to the present. It shows a noticeable increase in property tax from FY 2011 to FY 2012 and from FY 2017 to FY 2018. These increases to the City’s budgeted revenues from property tax are attributed to large increases to the City’s tax base from Malt-O-Meal’s (Post Consumer Brands) and West Liberty Foods’ real and personal property tax being received by Tremonton City. In FY 2021, the city went through the Truth in Taxation process to provide approximately $200,000 of additional revenue to fund the fire department moving to a full-time fire department.
Figure 3. Growth in Property Tax Revenue, 2010 to 2022
Increases in Tremonton’s property taxes through the Truth in Taxation process are rare. The city has only gone through the Truth in Taxation process once since 1997.
So, why is the city proposing an increase in your property tax?
- Public Safety. Currently, the police department does not always have at least two officers on duty 24/7 creating an unsafe situation for both the officer and our community. There are times we face staff shortages when officers attend training, take personal leave, fulfill military assignments, or are out on leave due to injury or administration leave. This leaves officers working hazardous shifts without backup, which is a significant concern.
Recruiting, training, and retaining capable police officers are vital for the well-being of our community. In Utah, there is a shortage of qualified and experienced officers. The result of this shortage is that communities are competing to fill critical positions. Tremonton is a great place to live and a great place for officers to serve. We want our officers to feel safe, so a key part of retention is to ensure that there are two officers per shift, so they won’t have to work alone.
I remember attending a staff training course with members of the police department a few months ago. Chief Cordova shared a training video with the officers. It was not an actual investigation, but very likely could have been. In the training video, an officer, who was on duty alone, was called to investigate a domestic violence situation.
These situations are some of the most dangerous investigations officers are asked to do. When he arrived at the scene, the wife answered the door. Clearly upset. As the investigation began, he asked the wife where her husband was – she told the officer he was down the hall in a different room and the children were in their bedrooms. When the officer approached the husband, his back was to the hall. Suddenly, the wife confronted the officer with a gun, putting the officer in a life-or-death situation.
Can officers control domestic violence calls on their own? The answer is no. Had there been two officers investigating this incident, they would have been able to follow protocol and better control the situation, keeping both the officers and the family safe. Not every investigation is as life-threatening as this example. But the point is, we want to keep our officers safe as they are keeping us safe. We don’t want to gamble on public safety.
- City Planner. Planning and integrating our land and water use is a critical part of Tremonton’s future. The city needs to proactively invest its resources in smart and thoughtful planning to ensure we continue to grow in a reasonable way. With the retirement of Steve Bench, who had the unique qualifications to perform the dual role of building inspection and city planning, we contracted with an individual to do our building inspection but are still in need of a planner.
The role of the city planner will be to perform essential planning functions and work with the planning commission in updating our moderate-income housing plan, integrating our land and water use plans, ensuring a functional transportation network, developing master development agreements, ensuring the city is exacting public improvements and impact fees from developers, and complying with state code.
Future growth needs to be thoughtfully planned to ensure we continue to grow in a reasonable way, that we protect our natural resources, and continue to make Tremonton a community we all enjoy living in. One resident recently stated,
“There are many good people coming here, and I am glad to welcome them. … I think we need to be responsible about what we want growth to look like.”
We are building a city through smart and intentional growth that makes the best use of our resources while maintaining our values and providing for our public safety. Our small-town feel is what makes Tremonton special. We care for each other, and we are a neighborly and family-friendly community focused on nurturing an environment of safety and peace.
Please follow the city’s website, our YouTube channel, and the city’s social media accounts for more information about this proposed property tax increase.
For more information about Box Elder County’s programs for tax relief and tax exemptions please visit, https://www.boxeldercounty.org/auditor/page/tax-relief-tax-exemptions
I have a problem with only relying on property taxes since I’m a homeowner and see my property tax go up annually. This means I pay more again for funding the city (plus my monthly payment for services to Tremonton City for water, trash collection, etc) than other citizens getting services who are not property owners. Figure out an equitable way to spread the joy of contributing to city services by all residents and take some burden off property owners.
More ‘Legalized Plunder’ for the government upon serfs.
My house value goes up every year (according to the County), which automatically increases the taxes that shall be paid. Now you want to add more?
There are more houses/townhouses/apartments being built in Tremonton, which also increase the tax revenue.
Once in a while, there is a new business that tries to start in Tremonton, which also increase the tax revenue.
I do know that there are items that cities need to run & be efficient, e.g.: Police, Fire, Infrastructure.
Tremonton City knows that there are items, departments & etc. that could be eliminated and the city would still run.
Alas, this is my venting, like screaming in the middle of a forest … but come November, it will be ‘Plundered’ from me & I will be told to like it!
Are developers being adequately assessed for the added pressure on the financial system and infrastructure?
I understand the needs for more police and fire dept personnel and a planner, but it seems the new people adding the needs in services should be paying their way. Is the city subsidizing the building boom by undercharging this new developments?