Utahns react to proposed property tax increases

SALT LAKE CITY — Dozens of cities, towns and school districts across Utah want to raise taxes.

In some cases, the proposed property tax hikes mean just a few extra dollars on a typical home. But in other cases, it’s a lot more than that.

Brent Gray lives in Vineyard with his parents. Recently, they learned the city wants to raise their property taxes by almost 20%.

“It has caused me a lot of anxiety,” Gray, who is disabled and can’t work, said. The plan is for him to live in the family’s paid-for house when his parents eventually pass away.

But Gray worries about keeping up with rising taxes, which he said are “getting out of hand.”

“If I can’t pay it,” he said, “I could end up losing my home.”

Vineyard isn’t alone. KSL.com identified 66 government entities across Utah that propose raising taxes.

“That’s a little less than we’ve seen the last couple years,” Malah Armstrong, vice president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, said.

Armstrong said occasional tax hikes are understandable, especially with inflation.

“We would just ask that cities be respectful of people’s personal budgets and not seek to raise taxes beyond what is absolutely necessary,” she said.

The city of Midvale is proposing a roughly 15% tax increase.

“We’ve done a lot of work to keep that as low as possible,” Mayor Marcus Stevenson said.

Under the proposal, the average Midvale homeowner would pay about $32 a year extra, Stevenson said, which would help pay for increased policing costs due to the recent reorganization of the Unified Police Department.

“It’s always a balancing act of how do we make sure that we maintain service levels, increase service levels where we can, and that we also don’t overburden our residents,” Stevenson said.

Back in Vineyard, another resident, Alexander Teemsma, said the city is growing quickly, and a tax increase seemed inevitable. His family would also be impacted by a proposed tax increase from the Alpine School District.

“I’m happy to pay it if the amenities provided and services provided are commensurate with the increase,” Teemsma said.

But Gray plans to oppose it.

“I want to speak to the city council and let them know that, hey, I have disabilities, I want to live here in Vineyard, but you’re going to drive me out,” he said.

None of the proposed tax increases are set in stone. By law, each entity must conduct a truth-in-taxation hearing where the public can weigh in.

For more information on the proposed tax increases and public hearings, click here.