Riverton still owes $2.5 million on Unified Fire debt it agreed to share when it left
When Riverton left the Unified Fire Service Area, its new fire service area agreed to pay 12.2% of the district's remaining 2016 building debt, though none of it paid for projects in Riverton. At June 30, 2025, $2,498,450 in principal and $391,562 in interest remained.
Continuing story: Auditing Riverton
Riverton's fire service area owed $2,498,450 in principal and $391,562 in interest at June 30, 2025, on its share of debt issued by the Unified Fire Service Area's building authority before Riverton left that district, according to the city's audit. [1]
The agreement
Before creating the Riverton Fire Service Area, Riverton was part of the Unified Fire Service Area. During that time, the Local Building Authority of the Unified Fire Service Area issued debt, global debt series 2016A. "None of the debt was used for projects within the boundaries of Riverton City," the audit says. [1]
After negotiations, the two service areas agreed that Riverton's would pay 12.2% of the remaining global debt, according to the audit. [1]
The payments
The schedule in the audit calls for $315,950 in fiscal 2026 and similar amounts each year after, with $1,310,752 due from fiscal 2031 through 2035. The total remaining is $2,890,012. [1]
In fiscal 2025, the fire service area paid $220,882 in principal and $95,251 in interest. Its budget had planned $220,882 and $95,068. [2]
The fiscal 2024 audit reported $379,332 paid to Unified Fire Authority toward the city's portion of the debt that year. [6]
How the audit describes it
The fiscal 2025 audit's notes describe the obligation as a note payable to the Unified Fire Service Area, while Note 18 describes the $316,000 payment as paid to Unified Fire Authority "to pay for the City's portion of the outstanding debt of UFA upon the City's departure." [1][4]
Riverton continues to receive fire suppression services from Unified Fire Authority. The fire service area's fiscal 2025 fire service fees were $6,328,955. [4][2]
The $2,498,450 is principal on a note payable. It is separate from the annual fee the fire service area pays for fire service and should not be added to it.
Sources
- Riverton City · FY2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (state-filed copy), Note 12 notes payable
- Riverton City · FY2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (state-filed copy), fire service area budget and actual
- Riverton City · FY2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (state-filed copy), Note 12 changes in long-term liabilities
- Riverton City · FY2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (state-filed copy), Note 18 fire service area
- Riverton City · FY2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (state-filed copy), management's discussion of governmental funds
- Riverton City · FY2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (state-filed copy), Note 18 fire service area
Reporting by The Utah Ledger from the public records above. AI-assisted, checked against those records.