Murray's 2026-27 property tax increase: the rate, the estimate and where the money goes
Murray raised its General Fund property tax rate from 0.001370 to 0.001448 for 2026-27. The city estimated the increase would bring in $714,297, split between police and fire pay and staffing, and cost the owner of a $614,000 home about $26.46 a year.
Continuing story: Auditing Murray
The Murray City Council adopted Ordinance 26-24 on Aug. 11, 2026, levying 0.001448 per dollar of taxable value for the General Fund and 0.000286 for the Library Fund, a combined 0.001734. Council chair Adam Hock signed it, and Mayor Brett Hales approved it on Aug. 13. [1]
The ordinance says the proposed total tax rates exceeded the certified tax rate, so the city held a truth-in-taxation hearing on Aug. 11. It says the Library Fund's rate remains unchanged. [1]
The city's estimate
The city's property tax impact schedule compares the new General Fund rate with a rate of 0.001370 based on the certified rate for 2026. It estimates the increase would generate an additional $714,297, raising property tax revenue from $12,624,618 to $13,338,915. [2]
It estimates a 5.66% increase in the city's rate, an increase of $26.46 a year, or $2.21 a month, for a primary residence valued at $614,000, and $48.12 a year for a business valued at $614,000. It estimates the increase in the combined rate of all taxing entities at 0.98% for property in Murray School District and 0.78% in Granite School District. [2]
The final budget lists $13,338,915 in real property tax revenue for 2026-27, compared with $12,487,975 in fiscal 2026. [4]
Where the money goes
The impact schedule assigns $361,531 to the Police Department and $352,766 to the Fire Department. [2]
For police, it says the department will hire a new officer so detective and patrol staffing can stay the same when an officer is assigned to the Regional Computer Forensics Lab, make market adjustments to officer salaries and increase overtime. [2]
For fire, it lists market adjustments to firefighter salaries and more overtime to reduce the number of times shifts operate at minimum staffing. [2]
How the amount was set
The budget says the council's budget needed $850,940, or 6.81%, in additional property tax revenue. It says the mayor's budget required a 9.8% increase, which the council lowered through $110,000 in cuts, a reorganization of the information technology department and other changes. [3]
It says the county's certified tax rate included growth of 1.09%, or $136,643, and that the levy passed to raise the remaining $714,297. [3]
In fiscal 2026, the city adopted no tax levy increase, according to its fiscal 2025 audited report. [5]
The $714,297, the 5.66% and the per-home amounts are city estimates. The rate is the city's share only, not a property owner's full tax bill. Rates are per dollar of taxable value, not market value.
Sources
- Murray City · Ordinance 26-24, FY2027 tax levies (signed)
- Murray City · Proposed property tax impact schedule, FY2027
- Murray City · FY2027 final budget, budget message
- Murray City · FY2027 final budget, General Fund property tax revenue
- Murray City · FY2025 annual comprehensive financial report, next year's budgets and rates
Reporting by The Utah Ledger from the public records above. AI-assisted, checked against those records.