Auditing West Valley City: what the city's latest audit and budget records show

West Valley City is governed by a six-member council and a mayor who votes as a member of the council, under what the report calls a strong city manager form of government, according to the city's annual comprehensive financial report. ^[5]

This series reads the city's own records: the audited annual report, the auditor's separate reports on internal control and compliance, budget documents and council minutes. Each story links to the records it relies on. Where the records do not answer a question, the story says so.

The audit

The city's auditor, K&C, Certified Public Accountants, gave an unmodified opinion on the city's financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2025, according to the city's annual report. ^[5]

The auditor's supplementary reports, dated Dec. 23, 2025, list no current findings under financial audit and Government Auditing Standards, major federal awards or State of Utah compliance. ^[2]

In fiscal 2024 the auditor reported a state-compliance finding after the Park Impact Fee special revenue fund exceeded budgeted expenditures by $142,992. The fiscal 2025 report says no similar finding was noted. A separate story in this series covers the city's audit-finding history. ^[2]

Reserves and debt

At the end of fiscal 2025, the General Fund's total fund balance was $33,059,022, down $5,885,157 for the year. Its unassigned balance was $19,761,187, down $2,200,243. The city's annual report says $4,600,000 of the decrease came out of nonspendable fund balance. ^[3]

The city's governmental funds together reported ending fund balances of $102,028,573, a decrease of $14,212,846. ^[3]

The annual report says the city has no bonded general obligation debt. Its long-term debt table lists $100,216,440 in revenue bond principal outstanding at June 30, 2025, or $108,221,046 including $8,004,606 in unamortized premiums. All long-term liabilities in that table, which also include notes, financed purchases, paid time off and claims, total $126,210,759. ^[4][10]

Separately, the city has pledged sales tax revenue toward debt of UTOPIA, the regional fiber network. The annual report says UTOPIA's debt is not city debt. Another story in this series covers those payments. ^[11]

Redevelopment

The West Valley City Redevelopment Agency reported $22,508,283 in tax increment collected from other taxing agencies in fiscal 2025 and $49,191,785 in amounts expended, including $28,648,045 for debt service. ^[7]

During the year the agency sold its position in the neighboring Embassy Suites hotel, recorded a gain on the sale and retired the hotel's debt, according to the annual report. ^[12]

Other city operations

The city owns the Maverik Center arena. The annual report says the city paid the arena's operator a fixed management fee of $332,500 and an incentive fee of $16,625 in fiscal 2025, and that the city pays all arena expenses, including the operator's personnel costs. The agreement runs to June 2027. ^[13]

Effective July 1, 2025, the city transferred a significant portion of its Housing Authority operations, including the Section 8 voucher program, to Housing Connect and assigned ownership of the Jared Alan Campbell Apartments to Utah Non Profit Housing Corporation. The annual report says the city expected to close the Housing Authority fund during fiscal 2026. ^[11]

The fiscal 2027 budget

On Aug. 11, 2026, the council voted 6-1 to adopt the budget for the year that began July 1, 2026, with Councilmember Tom Huynh voting no. Finance Director Jim Welch described a total proposed budget of approximately $176 million and an increase in property tax revenue of approximately $1.9 million. ^[6]