American Fork's oldest redevelopment areas built up $4.5 million that the agency hasn't spent
North Valley and East Main collected tax increment through 2025 and recorded no spending for three years. This year's budget would spend it on improvements it doesn't describe.
Continuing story: Auditing American Fork
The North Valley and East Main redevelopment areas, created in 1987 and 1992 along I-15 and Main Street, collected their last tax increment in 2025: $385,380 for North Valley and about $76,000 for East Main, according to Utah County records. Most of it came from the city's own property tax, with the rest from the county and two water districts. [1][2]
The agency recorded no actual spending from either fund in fiscal 2023, 2024 or 2025. Instead the balances grew: North Valley's reached about $4.2 million at the end of fiscal 2025, and East Main's about $373,000, according to city budget books. [3]
This year's budget plans to spend nearly all of it: $4,811,000 from North Valley and $488,168 from East Main, both listed only as "Redevelopment Improvements." The budget doesn't say which projects. [3]
The records disagree
The agency's 2026 annual report says North Valley will collect 75% of increment "through 2026" and lists $350,000 for 2026. The agency's own 2021 report and the county's 2025 tax records show 100% collection ending with tax year 2025. [2][4][1]
Because the county shows the area ended, the Ledger reads the 2026 report's North Valley line as an error.
Sources
- Utah State Tax Commission · Year-end 2025 project increment paid, American Fork RDA (Utah County Auditor)
- American Fork Redevelopment Agency · 2026 Annual Report (June 23, 2026 agenda packet)
- American Fork City · FY2027 adopted budget
- Redevelopment Agency of American Fork City · 2021 Annual Report (Utah County Auditor)
Reporting by The Utah Ledger from the public records above. AI-assisted, checked against those records.