Washington Terrace raises its property-tax levy $98,100 to cover sheriff's contract costs

Washington Terrace's City Council approved a property-tax increase on Aug. 18, 2026 that the city's tax schedule says will raise $98,100 to pay for higher costs of its contract with the Weber County Sheriff's Office. ^[1]

The numbers

The city's fiscal 2027 budget raises contracted police services from $1,202,214, the fiscal 2026 budget, to $1,300,314. The city spent $1,135,943 on contracted police services in fiscal 2025, according to its audit. ^[2][4]

The tax schedule City Manager Tom Hanson presented shows city property-tax revenue rising from $1,458,777 to $1,556,877, a 6.7% rate increase, with the purpose of funding contractual increases for Sheriff's Office services. It estimated an increase of $25.33 a year on a primary residence valued at $409,000, and $46.05 on a business of the same value. ^[1]

The state tax form in the council packet lists $1,556,877 in property-tax revenue for the city's general operations. ^[3]

The vote

Council member Cheryl Parkinson moved to approve Resolution 26-11, adopting the budget and certified tax rate, and said the budget includes the tax increase needed to maintain law enforcement services. The council approved it 5-0. ^[1]

At the same meeting, Lt. Sean Endsley of the Sheriff's Office reported that staffing had increased, retention improved with a new wage scale, and calls for service were neither drastically up nor down from the year before. ^[1]