2023 Budgets + Truth in Taxation
Ok, let’s talk about public hearings. At Wednesday’s Council meeting, North Summit Special Recreation District, Park City Fire Service District, and Mountain Regional Water Special Service District all held public hearings on their 2022 budget amendments and 2023 budgets. After hearing from members of the public, all three entities had their budgets for next year approved.
There was also a public hearing on the County’s proposed 2023 budget, including the proposed 10% COLA or cost of living adjustment for county employees. No decision will be made until next week, on December 14, when another public hearing will be held. More on that a bit later in the episode.
And, finally there was a Truth in Taxation public hearing held for the North Summit Fire Service District.
Before we move forward talking about the public hearing, can you explain what Truth in Taxation is?
Sure! Truth in Taxation is a process established by the Utah State Legislature where the county and its taxing entities (like school districts or special service districts) are required to hold a public hearing and inform taxpayers of proposed tax increases prior to the Council voting on and making changes. The process encourages transparency and provides an opportunity for residents to comment on the proposal before the County Council makes any final decision.
Ok, now back to the North Summit Fire District’s Truth in Taxation public hearing. The Council heard from dozens of community members who expressed concerns and asked questions about the district’s proposed tax increase. Ultimately, the Council pushed the decision on the increase to next week, December 14, awaiting more detail from NSFD on the $1 million + they’ve allotted towards payroll in their 2023 budget.
To be clear, the public hearing regarding NSFD’s proposed tax increase is now closed. Next week, on 12/14 at the Richins Building in Kimball Junction beginning around 4:10 PM, the Council will make their final decision on the increase and their 2023 budget.
Upcoming Public Hearings + Truth in Taxation
Speaking of next week, on Wednesday, December 14th there will be a few more public hearings we think our listeners should be aware of!
There will be a continued discussion and final decision on the County’s fee schedule, which we reported on last week, as well as on the County’s 2023 Budget. In addition, the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District will be hosting a Truth in Taxation public hearing regarding their proposed 19.9% tax increase.
Again, these hearings will take place on Wednesday, December 14, beginning at 6 PM at the the anchor location Sheldon Richins Building, 1885 West Ute Blvd, Park City, UT 84098
Please join in person if you would like to comment on any of the topics being discussed. If you can’t make it in-person, comment will be taken on Zoom. We’ll have the Zoom info up on the homepage of the County’s website right there under the news section.
Don’t want to comment, but still want to listen in? The Council meetings are always streamed live on the Summit County, UT facebook page.
BRT Community Engagement
Ok, moving on…in case you haven’t heard dedicated bus transit lanes are coming to Summit County and Park City!
The County has been working on this project for the last 5 years as a solution to traffic congestion and safety along SR-224. So far, we’ve secured $24m in federal funding and $30.3 m in state monies for the project.
Now, together with the Federal Transit Administration and in cooperation with project partners High Valley Transit, Park City Municipal and UDOT, the county has prepared a Categorical Exclusion, or CatEx under the National Environmental Policy Act for the SR-224 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project. Basically, the CatEx is a federal requirement that allows us to move into a final design of the project, which is expected to start in January of 2023.
The BRT project is specifically intended to enable the existing 10 White Electric Xpress bus service to operate as a true BRT system by providing frequent, fast, and reliable transit service in dedicated lanes.
More information about the project will be provided on December 12 at an open house, where project team members will be available to answer questions and talk with members of the public. The open house will be from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Summit County Sheldon Richins Building, located at 1885 W. Ute Boulevard in Park City.
In the meantime, you can always visit the project website for more information about the study at sr224brt.com.
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