River Heights raises its property tax rate to 0.000849 and lists $85,101 in added revenue
After a Truth in Taxation hearing on Aug. 17, the River Heights City Council voted 5-0 for a rate above the certified rate. The city's stated plan splits the estimated added revenue among parks, sidewalk repairs and administrative wages and benefits.
Continuing story: Auditing River Heights
The River Heights City Council voted 5-0 on Aug. 17 to adopt a property tax rate of 0.000849 per dollar of taxable value for fiscal 2027, above the certified rate of 0.000476, after a Truth in Taxation hearing. [1]
The city's notice said the proposed rate was anticipated to generate approximately $85,101 in additional property tax revenue per year. [1]
The votes
Malmstrom moved to approve Resolution 10-2026, "A Resolution Adopting a Property Tax Rate for Fiscal Year 2027," and Milbank seconded. Evans, Malmstrom, Milbank, Pitcher and Roberts voted in favor, and no one opposed. [1]
Pitcher then moved to approve Resolution 11-2026, adopting the final budget for fiscal 2026-27, with Milbank seconding. It passed with the same five votes. The resolution says the final budget incorporates the property tax revenue resulting from the adopted rate. [1]
The council approved the minutes of the hearing on Sept. 1 by a 4-0 vote, with Malmstrom absent. [2]
Where the added revenue is planned to go
The breakdown in the minutes assigns $38,851 to parks, $15,500 to roads and $30,750 to administration. [1]
The city's impact schedule says the parks department "will maintain current level of service with added park space," the roads department "will use the increase for sidewalk repairs" and the administration department "will use the increase to fund wages and benefits with rising cost." [1]
In the minutes, Mayor Blake Wright said the parks portion "didn't include projects, just upkeep and maintenance," and that wages from parks were the parks' share of administrative cost increases. [1]
The final budget worksheet carries the $85,101 on its own property tax line. The state tax rate form in the packet lists $201,255 in general operations property tax revenue at the 0.000849 rate. [1]
Public comment
Residents who spoke at the hearing questioned spending on the city's new park, employee pay and benefits, and council raises. One speaker supported the tax increase but not its use for salaries. [1]
The city's final capital projects budget funds its park line with a $110,000 RAPZ grant and appropriated fund balance. At the Sept. 1 meeting, Milbank reported that the city has until Dec. 31, 2027 to spend $50,000 in RAPZ funds on a pavilion at Stewart Hill Park. [1][2]
The $85,101 is the city's estimate of added annual revenue and the allocation is a budget plan, not a record of collections or spending. The hearing notice and the city's impact schedule also state a percentage increase, which this story does not report.
Sources
- River Heights City Council · Aug. 17, 2026 Truth in Taxation hearing minutes, Resolutions 10-2026 and 11-2026, and final budget worksheet
- River Heights City Council · Sept. 1, 2026 meeting minutes
Reporting by The Utah Ledger from the public records above. AI-assisted, checked against those records.