Auditing Heber City: the tax vote, the power company and the records behind them

The Utah Ledger is starting a records-only review of Heber City's public finances. The first stories draw on City Council minutes and packets for 2026, and on board packets of Heber Light & Power, an electric utility based in Heber City. ^[1][3]

The budget and the tax rate

The council adopted the final fiscal 2026-2027 budget through Resolution 2026-20 on Aug. 18, 2026, voting 5-0. The motion directed staff to make up the difference from a smaller tax increase by adjusting revenues proportionately across the budget. The minutes do not state the budget's total. ^[1]

At the same meeting, Mayor Heidi Franco asked for clarification of the amount in the city's Community Reinvestment Agency fund. The minutes record that the correct amount was $370,000. ^[1]

A packet for the council's May 9, 2026 budget workshop listed current property tax revenue of $3,347,780 and proposed revenue of $3,521,780, an estimated $174,000 or about 5.20% increase. ^[2]

On Aug. 18, the council adopted Resolution 2026-18, setting a 4.2% certified tax rate increase instead of the 4.8% proposed. The final tax rate and the revenue it will raise are not stated in the minutes. ^[1]

Heber Light & Power

Heber Light & Power is governed by its own board. The roster in its August 2026 packet lists the mayors of Heber City, Midway and Charleston and two Heber City Council representatives, Morgan Murdock and Aaron Cheatwood. ^[3]

The utility's August 2026 balance sheet lists revenue bonds payable of $69,331,822.25, up from $43,359,675.35 a year earlier. That includes $28,000,000 in 2026 bond principal, with a $2,546,715.95 premium. ^[4]

The utility's financial summary shows distributions of $300,000 in 2022 and $75,000 in 2023, and none in 2024, 2025 or 2026 through Aug. 31. ^[4]

Heber Light & Power's audit

Heber Light & Power's board voted May 27, 2026 to accept its annual audit by Squire and Company, according to draft minutes. The auditor's representative described it as the 2025 financial audit and reported a favorable opinion, the minutes say. ^[5]

In this series

The series covers the council's August 2026 tax decision, the Heber Light & Power dividend that decision relied on, and a proposed property-tax relief program that has not been adopted. ^[1][3]