South Jordan's new parks fee: $5.28 a month, and how officials said it would be tracked
South Jordan's adopted budget adds a monthly parks fee of $5.28 for single-family homes and $3.38 for multifamily units. City officials told the council it would raise about $1.7 million a year and be tracked in dedicated budget lines.
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South Jordan's budget for fiscal 2026-27 adds a park fee "to support park operations, maintenance & CIP Improvements." It lists the fee at $5.28 a month for single-family homes and $3.38 a month for multifamily homes. [2]
The City Council adopted that budget 5-0 on June 2, 2026. [1]
What officials told the council
According to the minutes of the June 2 combined City Council and redevelopment agency meeting, Mayor Dawn Ramsey said "the proposed monthly fee was $5.38 for a single-family residence and $3.28 for a multifamily dwelling." Those amounts differ from the rates printed in the budget. [1][2]
Chief Financial Officer Sunil Naidu said the fee is expected to generate approximately $1.7 million a year and that approximately $500,000 would be directed toward capital projects, the minutes say. He said unspent money would carry forward for parks. [1]
The minutes record Naidu saying the city "would establish dedicated budget line items to separately account for all parks fee revenues and expenditures." He said the fee would not be set up as an enterprise fund because it does not cover the full cost of parks. [1]
City Manager Dustin Lewis said the fee would pay for operations and maintenance but not salaries and benefits, according to the minutes. Naidu said the fee would take effect July 1, 2026. [1]
Council Member Jason McGuire asked that the fee's revenue be tracked separately. During public comment, a resident suggested putting the fee in an enterprise fund. [1]
What comes next
On July 21, 2026, the council voted 5-0 to approve the June 2 minutes, along with minutes of two June 16 meetings, as published. [4]
A city notice posted July 31, 2026 says the parks fee is included on utility bills and lists it at $5.28 a month for single-family homes and $3.38 for multifamily homes, the same rates as the budget. The June 2 minutes still record $5.38 and $3.28. [3][1]
The Ledger has not found a report of what the fee has collected or spent.
The $1.7 million and $500,000 figures are officials' estimates recorded in meeting minutes, not collections or spending.
Sources
- South Jordan City Council · July 21, 2026 packet with June 2, 2026 combined City Council & RDA minutes utah.gov
- City of South Jordan · Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Annual Budget sjc.utah.gov
- City of South Jordan · Understanding Utility Bill Updates, posted July 31, 2026 sjc.utah.gov
- South Jordan City Council · July 21, 2026 meeting minutes sjc.utah.gov
Reporting by The Utah Ledger from the public records above. AI-assisted; paragraphs link to their sources.
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