Draper raised its property tax rate for FY2027 and still plans to use $3.3 million of reserves

Draper's FY2027 budget raises the city's property tax rate and also appropriates $3,295,700 from General Fund reserves to balance the year, according to the budget records the City Council adopted on Aug. 18, 2026. ^[1][3]

The rate and the vote

Resolution 26-39 adopts the final FY2027 budget, compensation schedules and certified tax rate. Its rate table lists 0.001128 for the Draper City General Fund in both Salt Lake County and Utah County, with no interest and sinking fund rate. ^[1]

The finance department's adoption presentation says the rate increases from 0.000902 to 0.001128, about 25%. For a primary residence valued at $941,000, it shows an increase of $9.75 a month, or $116.97 a year, in the city's portion of the tax. ^[3]

Councilmember Bryn Heather Johnson moved to adopt the resolution and Councilmember Tasha Lowery seconded. The approved minutes record Councilmembers Green, Johnson, T. Lowery, F. Lowry and Dahlin in favor. No one spoke at the public hearing. ^[2]

The city's property tax webpage says the council approved the increase as part of the final budget at the Aug. 18 meeting. Other sections of that page still carry examples from the earlier proposal. ^[5]

Where the General Fund money comes from

The adoption presentation lists $54,133,400 in FY2027 General Fund financing. It includes $10,901,200 in existing property tax, $2,696,000 in "New Proposed Property Tax," $22,440,000 in sales tax, $795,000 in other sources of funding and a $3,295,700 appropriation of fund balance. The FY2026 budget had appropriated $4,908,300 of fund balance. ^[3]

According to the minutes, Finance Director John Vuyk confirmed at the hearing that even with the tax increase, "$3,295,000 would be appropriated from Fund Balance to balance the FY2027 Budget." The minutes also record him saying the fund balance was at the state-allowed maximum of 35%. The detailed schedule gives the amount as $3,295,700. ^[2][3]

The city's audited FY2025 report describes the unassigned General Fund balance of $18,979,645 at June 30, 2025, as 34.6% of General Fund revenues. ^[6]

What FY2026 showed

The finance department's Oct. 6, 2026 presentation, titled "FY2027 1st Quarter Financial Update," compares the FY2026 budget with a column labeled "Actual." It shows $2,109,977 of fund balance appropriated in FY2026, against $4,908,300 budgeted, and total General Fund sources of $52,081,674. ^[4]

The same table shows FY2026 sales tax of $22,085,957, above the $21,500,000 budget. The FY2027 budget of $22,440,000 is 4.4% above the FY2026 budget; by The Ledger's arithmetic, it is about 1.6% above the FY2026 figure in the presentation. ^[4]

The presentation does not say whether its FY2026 figures are preliminary. As of Oct. 16, 2026, the city's budgets page lists the FY2025 report as its latest annual financial report. ^[4][7]