Auditing Bluffdale: What the city's audit and budget show

This series examines Bluffdale's finances through the city's own records: its audited financial statements, its adopted budgets, council minutes and meeting packets. Each story links the documents behind every figure.

Bluffdale's most recent audited financial report covers the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2025. The auditing firm HBME, LLC wrote in a report dated Dec. 3, 2025 that the statements "present fairly, in all material respects" the city's financial position. ^[1]

In its separate reports, the firm said it did not identify any internal-control deficiencies it considered material weaknesses, and that its tests disclosed no instances of noncompliance required to be reported under Government Auditing Standards. On state compliance requirements, it found the city complied in all material respects and identified no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies within the areas it tested. ^[5]

Reserves and net position

The city's assets and deferred outflows exceeded its liabilities and deferred inflows by $246,464,527 at June 30, 2025, according to management's discussion in the audit. Most of that is capital assets, which are not available for spending. ^[2]

The general fund, the city's main operating fund, ended fiscal 2025 with a total fund balance of $5,841,414, of which $2,947,580 was unassigned. Management reported the unassigned amount was about 26% of general fund expenditures and said the fund balance fell $1,708,746 during the year, mainly because of a transfer to the capital projects fund. ^[2]

All governmental funds together held $70,963,099. Of that, $48,539,050 was in the Redevelopment Agency fund, assigned to redevelopment projects. ^[3]

Debt

At June 30, 2025, the city had $29,440,000 in revenue bond principal outstanding: two Local Building Authority lease revenue bonds totaling $21,440,000, including a $16,000,000 Series 2024 issue at 5% that matures in 2045, and two water revenue bonds totaling $8,000,000. Scheduled principal and interest on those bonds through 2045 totals $42,501,688. ^[4]

That audit predates the city's 2026 borrowing for the 14600 South railroad underpass. At the May 27, 2026 council meeting, City Manager Bruce Kartchner reported that $30 million in revenue anticipation bonds had closed that day. ^[9]

Who is in the city's books

The Redevelopment Agency of Bluffdale City and the Bluffdale City Local Building Authority are legally separate entities governed by the mayor and City Council. The audit reports both as blended component units, inside the city's own statements, so their balances are already part of the city's totals. ^[10]

The Redevelopment Agency reported $10,295,711 in tax increment generated in fiscal 2025 and no outstanding debt at June 30, 2025. ^[11]

The fiscal 2027 budget

The city manager's budget message describes the fiscal 2027 general fund as balanced at about $17.3 million. The budget's general fund summary totals $17,330,275, including $305,775 drawn from fund balance. ^[6][7]

The capital projects fund is budgeted at $68,460,000, including $50,000,000 for the 14600 South railroad crossing. That is one year's appropriation, not a project total. The water operations fund is budgeted at $20,992,000, a figure that includes a planned $12,000,000 water tank bond and capital projects as well as operations. ^[8][12]

The budget says the Eastern Bluffdale EDA's tax increment collection period ended in fiscal 2026 and that much of its existing money is committed to the underpass. ^[13]