A quorum of the Cottonwood Heights City Council is expected at Fire Station 110 on Tuesday, July 28, at 5 p.m. for a tour of the facility whose firefighter staffing could be cut if a proposed 42% property tax increase does not pass.
The visit, scheduled at 1790 Fort Union Blvd., comes two weeks before the council's Truth-in-Taxation public hearing on Tuesday, August 11, when residents will have their say on the proposed rate hike.
What's at stake at Station 110
According to the city's Property Tax Impact Schedule adopted on Tuesday, June 16, if the tax increase fails, Unified Fire Authority funding would be reduced enough to cut staffing at Fire Station 110 from four firefighters per shift to three or three and a half per shift.
The council voted 4-1 on June 16 to adopt the impact schedule as part of Resolution 2026-35. Councilmember Matt Holton cast the lone "nay" vote.
The proposed increase would raise the city's property tax rate from 0.001268 to 0.001808, generating an additional $3.5 million in revenue for fiscal year 2026-27. For the owner of a primary residence valued at $850,000, that translates to about $21 more per month, or $252 per year.
Budget pressure building since spring
The city faces a projected $2.6 million operating deficit heading into the new fiscal year. Cottonwood Heights has raised property taxes only twice since incorporating: 2% in 2010 and 13% in 2018. The proposed 42.57% increase is more than three times the largest prior hike.
During budget deliberations in early May, as reported by the Cottonwood Heights Journal, Councilmember Suzanne Hyland expressed concern about the scale of a potential increase. "If a property tax increase is something close to 13% like the one time the city raised property taxes, it feels like a gut punch," she said.
The increase now before the council is far larger than the scenario Hyland described.
Fire is not the only department facing cuts. Without the additional revenue, the Cottonwood Heights Police Department would lose five sworn officer positions and one office support position, and funding for body cameras and vehicle cameras would be eliminated, according to the impact schedule.
What's next
The August 11 public hearing is when the council will adopt a final budget for fiscal year 2026-27. The $3.5 million in additional tax revenue has been set aside in a restricted account and cannot be spent until after that hearing.
City Recorder Tiffany Janzen posted the public notice of the council's potential quorum at Station 110 on Monday, July 27, on the city's website and the Utah State Public Meeting Notice site.
Residents who want to weigh in on the tax increase can attend the August 11 hearing or contact the city council through the Cottonwood Heights city website.
