Auditing Hurricane: the city's budget, audit and new borrowing plans
A facts-only review of Hurricane's public financial records, starting with its $151 million fiscal 2026-27 budget, an audit presentation for fiscal 2024-25 that minutes describe as showing no findings, and borrowing limits set for a pool, a civic campus and electric projects.
Continuing story: Auditing Hurricane
The Utah Ledger is reviewing Hurricane's public financial records and reporting only what the documents state. Each story in this series links every figure to its source and names the dates it covers.
Most of the records are City Council minutes and meeting packets posted on the state's Public Notice Website. The Ledger could not open the city's own website, the full fiscal 2025 audited statements or the full fiscal 2026-27 budget document, so this series does not report figures from them.
The audit
Minutes of the council's Jan. 15, 2026 meeting list a presentation of the 2024-2025 annual audit by HintonBurdick. They say Chad Atkinson's presentation showed "a clean report card with no findings" and a five-year trend for each fund. No vote was taken on the item. [1]
A month earlier, Dec. 18, 2025 minutes record a staff report that the audit review had been moved to the next meeting "but they did report that there were no findings." [2]
The city's February 2026 preliminary bond offering names HintonBurdick as the auditor. Its letter of transmittal says revenues for general governmental functions totaled $20,998,728 in 2024-25 and expenditures for general governmental purposes totaled $16,048,049. [3]
The budget
The council adopted Resolution 2026-25, approving the 2026-2027 fiscal year budget, on June 18, 2026. Councilmember Amy Werrett moved to approve it and Councilmember Dave Imlay seconded; the minutes record it carried unanimously by roll call. [4]
Presenting the budget, Paige Chapman said, "The Citywide budget totals $151 million," according to the minutes. That figure covers all city funds. The minutes do not give a General Fund total. [4]
At the same meeting the council raised the monthly storm drain fee from $4 to $11 and adopted a storm drain impact fee. [4]
Borrowing
In December 2025, the council authorized up to $8,000,000 in sales tax revenue bonds for a new pool. A February 2026 preliminary offering described $5,600,000 of those bonds, marked preliminary and subject to change. [2][3]
On Oct. 1, 2026, the Municipal Building Authority authorized up to $27,000,000 in lease revenue bonds for a new police station and city hall, and the council authorized up to $24,000,000 in electric revenue bonds for substations and transmission lines. Both resolutions set a maximum interest rate of 6.5%. Public hearings on both are scheduled for Nov. 5. [7][5][6]
The building authority's notice lists $1,041,000 of its existing debt outstanding. The electric notice says the city has no outstanding bonds secured by electric system revenues. [5][6]
What this series covers
Stories in this series cover the civic campus and electric bond limits, the pool financing, the new tiered stormwater fee and the replacement golf cart financing. The Ledger has not contacted the city for these stories. [7][8]
Figures in this series come from council minutes, meeting packets and bond notices posted on the state's Public Notice Website, and from the city's February 2026 preliminary bond offering. Borrowing limits are maximums set by resolution, not debt issued; budget figures are adopted amounts, not actual spending. The city's own website could not be read for this series.
Sources
- Hurricane City Council · May 21, 2026 packet, with Jan. 15, 2026 minutes
- Hurricane City Council · Dec. 18, 2025 minutes
- Hurricane City · Preliminary official statement, Sales Tax Revenue Bonds, Series 2026 (Feb. 12, 2026)
- Hurricane City Council · July 16, 2026 packet, with June 18, 2026 minutes
- Municipal Building Authority of the City of Hurricane · Notice of bond hearing, Lease Revenue Bonds, Series 2026 (posted Oct. 2, 2026)
- Hurricane City · Notice of bond hearing, Electric Revenue Bonds, Series 2027 (posted Oct. 2, 2026)
- Hurricane City Council · Oct. 15, 2026 packet, with Oct. 1, 2026 council and Municipal Building Authority minutes
- Hurricane City Council · Sept. 17, 2026 packet, with Sept. 3, 2026 minutes
Background explainer by The Utah Ledger. AI-assisted reporting, checked against the sources above.