Friday, October 16, 2026The Utah Ledger

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Auditing St. George · From the records

St. George's adopted budget gives two different totals for its general fund

The fiscal 2027 budget, adopted 5-0 on June 18, states a $121,791,905 general fund in its narrative, while its general fund revenue table totals $121,736,112, a $55,793 difference.

Published Mountain Time
Source / event date: FY2027 adopted budget; City Council minutes, June 18, 2026

Continuing story: Auditing St. George

St. George

St. George's adopted fiscal 2027 budget states two different totals for the city's general fund. [1]

The budget's overview says, "The FY 2027 Adopted Budget for the General Fund is $121,791,905," an increase of $653 thousand, or 0.5%. The general fund revenue table on the following page totals $121,736,112, an increase of $597,366 over the fiscal 2026 adopted budget of $121,138,746. The difference between the two totals is $55,793. [1]

The adoption vote

The City Council voted 5-0 on June 18, 2026, to adopt the final fiscal 2026-27 budget, Resolution 2026-010R, "with the amendments." Councilmember Natalie Larsen made the motion and Councilmember Dannielle Larkin seconded it. The minutes do not list the amendments. [2]

In the same meeting, the council voted 5-0 to set the property tax rate in Resolution 2026-011R. The budget says it does not adopt a property tax increase and that the certified tax rate of 0.000665 is up from last year's rate by 0.000002, or 0.3%. [1][2]

A percentage in the same table

The revenue table lists licenses and permits at $3,204,500 in the fiscal 2026 adopted budget and $3,817,500 for fiscal 2027, a $613,000 difference, and shows the change as 100.0%. [1]

The budget's narrative on licenses and permits describes the same change as "an increase of $613k or 19.1% from the FY 2026 Adopted Budget." Dividing $613,000 by $3,204,500 gives 19.1%. [1]

What the table shows

The table's other large changes are a $2,144,470 decrease in charges for services and a $2,790,000 decrease in appropriated fund balance, from $4,100,000 to $1,310,000. The table lists appropriated fund balance, a draw on existing fund balance, as a revenue category. [1]

The Ledger has not asked the city about the two totals.

This story compares two figures in the same public document. The $55,793 difference is between published totals; it is not missing money. Adopted appropriations are spending authority, not actual spending.

Sources

  1. St. George City · FY2027 Adopted Budget & Business Plan, General Fund summary
  2. St. George City Council · June 18, 2026 minutes

Reporting by The Utah Ledger from the public records above. AI-assisted, checked against those records.