South Salt Lake proposed a 12.99% property tax revenue increase for public safety

South Salt Lake proposed raising its property tax revenue by $1,839,537 a year, an increase of 12.99% over the previous year's budgeted property tax revenue excluding eligible new growth, according to the city's Truth in Taxation notice. The City Council's hearing was set for Aug. 11, 2026. ^[1]

The notice estimated the city's tax on a $470,000 residence would rise from $644.44 to $727.94, or $83.50 a year, and on a $470,000 business from $1,171.71 to $1,323.52, or $151.81 a year. ^[1]

The public safety levy

The increase is in the city's public safety service levy. The hearing materials say the levy was created in 2022 as a dedicated funding source for public safety services and is held in the Public Safety Service special revenue fund. ^[2]

The hearing materials say the council adopted a proposed public safety tax rate of .001397 on June 10, 2026, a rate above the certified rate, which required the hearing. ^[2]

The property tax impact schedule in the June 10 packet lists the current public safety rate as .000995 and current revenue for the fund as $5,665,418. It lists proposed budget increases of $1,004,429 for police, $782,571 for fire and $82,588 for emergency management. ^[3]

The June 10 schedule's estimates differ from the August notice: it showed an estimated rate of .00132335 and $1,869,588 in new revenue, while the draft ordinance in the same packet listed .001397. ^[3]

The hearing

The Aug. 11 agenda listed options for the council to delay action to a future meeting, take it to a work meeting, or take final action by adopting the proposed public safety rate and adopting each fund budget separately by ordinance. ^[4]

The file posted as minutes of the Aug. 11 hearing on the state notice site contains the agenda, not a record of the hearing. ^[4]