Roy's $1.75 million property tax increase goes to voters as Proposition 10
The City Council adopted a smaller tax increase than first advertised, mostly for employee pay. A referendum petition qualified on Oct. 14, and the increase is on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Continuing story: Auditing Roy
Roy voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether the city may keep a $1,749,050 property tax increase built into its fiscal 2026-27 budget. [2][4]
The ballot question for Proposition 10 reads: "Shall the City of Roy be authorized to levy a tax rate in the amount sufficient to generate an increased property tax revenue of $1,749,050 for fiscal year 2027 as budgeted, adopted, and approved by the City of Roy?" [4]
What the council adopted
The city's hearing notice, as recorded in the Aug. 11, 2026 minutes, said Roy was considering an increase to generate an additional $2,807,745, "approximately 54.94%." [1]
Councilmember Wilson moved to approve Resolution 26-24 "with a tax rate of 34.24%, striking the COLA for the Council and Mayor," approving a 2.8% cost-of-living raise for employees and wage correction adjustments for full-time employees as determined by a salary survey. Councilmember Sphar seconded. [1]
Councilmembers Hulbert, Jackson, Sphar and Wilson voted yes. Councilmember Saxton voted no. The minutes were approved on Sept. 15, 2026. [1]
The city's final budget describes the result as "a property tax increase of $1,749,050, or 34.25%." [2]
Where the money is budgeted
The final budget says $195,550 "addresses the revenue shortfall associated with the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) implemented in March 2026," $346,129 funds the 2.8% cost-of-living raise for the coming year, and "$1,207,371 is designated for wage correction adjustments." [2]
The budget says the council approved a 28% tax increase in August 2025 that would have gone to employees, and that the increase "was later denied by the Utah State Tax Commission." It says the council then gave employees a 2.5% cost-of-living raise in March 2026. [2]
The budget refers to a Property Tax Impact Schedule with a department-by-department breakdown and says it is available as a separate document. [2]
The referendum
City Recorder Brittany Fowers's Oct. 14 determination says the petition was received Aug. 12. Of 2,104 signatures submitted, 1,878 were valid. The citywide requirement was 1,786 signatures. [3]
The letter says the petition met the 10% threshold in three of the city's four voter participation areas, and that the resolution "will be voted on in the November 2026 election." [3]
The percentages describe the increase in Roy City's own property tax revenue, not the change in a property owner's total tax bill, which includes other taxing entities. This story does not predict the election result.
Sources
- Roy City Council · Aug. 11, 2026 approved minutes
- Roy City · Final budget, fiscal 2026-27
- Roy City Recorder · Oct. 14, 2026 referendum sufficiency determination
- Weber County Elections · Nov. 3, 2026 official sample ballot
Reporting by The Utah Ledger from the public records above. AI-assisted, checked against those records.