Auditing West Jordan: what the city's audit and budget show about its money

This series looks at West Jordan's money through the city's own records: its audited annual financial report, its adopted budgets and its quarterly statements. Each story links the documents it relies on. ^[1][2][3][4]

The city's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. Fiscal 2025 ended June 30, 2025, and is the latest year with audited results. Fiscal 2027 began July 1, 2026. ^[1][2]

The audit

Keddington & Christensen, an accounting firm in Woods Cross, audited the city's fiscal 2025 financial statements. Its report, dated Dec. 31, 2025, gives an unmodified opinion, the standard clean opinion. It says the statements present fairly, in all material respects, the city's financial position. ^[1]

The opinion covers the financial statements. It is not a review of whether each project or purchase was a good use of money. ^[1]

Reserves and spending in fiscal 2025

The General Fund, which pays for most day-to-day services, took in $80,302,271 in fiscal 2025 and spent $72,580,534. After $9 million in transfers out to other funds and other items, its fund balance rose $1,234,538 to $22,663,954. Of that balance, $22,434,980 was unassigned. ^[1]

Across all city activities, the statement of net position reports $872,387,620 in net position at June 30, 2025. That figure includes the value of roads, pipes, parks and other capital assets, so it is not cash. ^[1]

Debt

The city's management discussion in the report says total bonds and notes payable rose 33% to $38.1 million in fiscal 2025, and that the city had no general obligation debt outstanding. In October 2024 the city issued $12.0 million in sales tax revenue bonds for multipurpose fields and other park improvements. ^[1]

The fiscal 2027 budget lists three outstanding bond issues: $18,275,000 in 2016 Municipal Building Authority lease revenue bonds, $3,550,000 in 2021 water revenue bonds and $11,085,000 in 2024 sales tax revenue bonds. ^[2]

The fiscal 2027 budget

The adopted fiscal 2027 budget balances the General Fund at $81,944,122 in revenue and transfers in, and the same amount in spending and transfers out, with no use of General Fund reserves. ^[2]

Across city funds, excluding internal assessments, transfers between funds and the city's separate agencies, the budget lists $185,523,601 in sources and $241,436,216 in uses, including $79,188,207 for capital and leases. That is a planned $55,912,615 reduction in reserves. The largest planned drawdown is in the Capital Projects Fund, from $67,182,896 to $38,535,092. ^[2]

The budget lists a 2026 property tax rate of 0.001309, compared with a certified rate of 0.001281, a 2.19% increase that it says brings in $500,418 more. ^[2]

Redevelopment

West Jordan's Redevelopment Agency keeps its own budget. Its adopted fiscal 2027 budget lists $1,904,900 in property tax revenue and a planned $10,086,730 reduction in reserves, from $21,702,320 to $11,615,590. The planned spending includes $7 million for land and building purchases and $3,475,000 for area improvements. These are budgeted amounts, not completed purchases. ^[5][4]