Washington City

Local news, council decisions, projects and city spending, with links to the agendas, minutes and reporting behind each story.

City councilCouncil minutesCouncil meetings and work sessions, with the official minutes, agendas and video AuditWashington City: emergency services tax and utility chargesPublic-records reporting on city finances and decisions SpendingContracts and spendingContracts, bid awards, change orders and land deals recorded in council meetings

Next meetingNone postedCheck the city's notices

Latest recorded voteHeight waiver HW-26-025-0 · City Council, Wed, Sep 23

Open projectsNone tracked yetAdded as minutes name them

Meeting records through Sept. 23, 2026Approved minutes through Sept. 23, 2026Coverage and sources →

Latest decisions

Through Sept. 23, 2026, the latest meeting with recorded results.

Height waiver HW-26-02 Approved · 5-0City Council, Wed, Sep 23 · Approved City Council minutes, Sept. 23, 2026 (approved Oct. 14)
Church Farm Road pump station and pipeline bid award Approved · 5-0City Council, Wed, Sep 23 · Approved City Council minutes, Sept. 23, 2026 (approved Oct. 14)
Discharge-line agreement and license, Perfect Swell Zion evaporation pond Approved · 5-0City Council, Wed, Sep 23 · Approved City Council minutes, Sept. 23, 2026 (approved Oct. 14)
Conditional use permit C-26-08 Approved · 4-0City Council, Wed, Sep 9 · Approved City Council minutes, Sept. 9, 2026 (approved Sept. 23)
Striping-truck bid award Approved · 4-0City Council, Wed, Sep 9 · Approved City Council minutes, Sept. 9, 2026 (approved Sept. 23)

Meetings and decisions, item by item →

Follow the money and what happened next

Trace the decisions and financial records linked to Washington City's projects. A budget, bond ceiling, contract authorization and actual payment describe different things.

Open questions in our reporting

Washington City's audit narrative repeats last year's debt total
Whether the city or its auditor will correct the narrative. The Ledger has not asked.
Reporting status as of 2026-10-16
Washington City's utilities paid $1.9 million in administrative charges in 2025
Whether the cost-allocation study has been updated since 2015, and what method sets the fiscal 2027 amounts. The records reviewed do not say.
Reporting status as of 2026-10-16
Washington City's 0.33% emergency services tax took effect Oct. 1
How many months of collections, and at what rate, the $1,300,000 budget figure assumes. The budget does not say.
Reporting status as of 2026-10-16

Contracts and spending records →

Washington City: emergency services tax and utility charges →

Washington City's audit narrative repeats last year's debt total
The narrative in Washington City's fiscal 2025 audited statements says the city had $32,313,649 in outstanding debt at year end. The table it introduces shows that figure for 2024 and $29,336,402 for 2025.
Published October 16, 2026
Washington City's utilities paid $1.9 million in administrative charges in 2025
Washington City's water, sewer, electric and storm drain funds were charged $1,898,225 for shared administrative costs in fiscal 2025. The fiscal 2027 budget raises the charge for each of the four, to $2,537,299 in total, and the city's public explanation of the method describes a 2015 study.
Published October 16, 2026
Washington City's 0.33% emergency services tax took effect Oct. 1
After a 3-2 council vote in March, Washington City's emergency services sales tax took effect Oct. 1, according to the Utah State Tax Commission. The adopted budget counts $1.3 million from it, and Proposition 5 asks voters to add 0.67%.
Published October 16, 2026

City hall

Politics
Washington City council approves Inland Port agreement 5-0 and splits 3-2 on plan change
On Oct. 14 the council additionally awarded a $1.46 million storm drain bid, tabled new parks impact fees and amended the general plan for the Adams Family Farm area parcel by parcel.
Published November 1, 2026 · From Washington City
Politics
Washington City voters to decide sales tax for emergency services
City leaders say the 0.67% tax would exclude fuel, medication and groceries and come with a cut to the city's share of property taxes.
Published October 16, 2026 · From FOX 13 News Utah

Around town

Politics · Feature
Three local tax questions on Utah's Nov. 3 ballot, explained
Snyderville Basin voters decide up to $71 million in recreation bonds, San Juan County votes on a 1% ambulance sales tax, and Washington City votes on a fire and emergency services sales tax. Here is what each measure does, what it would cost and what is not on the ballot.
Published October 22, 2026
Business
State promises tax credit for Baxter Aerospace expansion in Washington City
The company has agreed to add 90 jobs and invest $19.55 million in Utah over five years to qualify.
Published October 15, 2026 · From The Salt Lake Tribune

Washington City City Council: who serves and how to follow it

Mayor Kress StaheliMayor
Kimberly CaspersonCouncil member
Kurt IvieCouncil member
Craig CoatsCouncil member
Brett HendersonCouncil member
Troy BellistonCouncil member

Workshops run 4 to 5:30 p.m. and regular meetings start at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays in Council Chambers, 111 N. 100 East. A quarterly public forum on the second Wednesday (the next is Oct. 14, 2026, per the city's schedule) precedes the regular meeting. The Oct. 28 meetings were canceled.

Roster from Washington City: Mayor and Council, read on October 29, 2026. Terms and schedules change; confirm with the city.

Search Washington City

Street, project, official, vendor or ordinanceSearch in

Searches this city's collected meeting items, projects, reporting and officials. Coverage is not a complete official archive.

Resident services & official contacts

Council notices, packets and session-specific minutes ↗Washington City lists cancellations separately for council regular and workshop meetings and other public bodies. Check the specific session first, then use past-packet and recording links when no current packet is posted; keep regular, workshop and public-forum minutes distinct.
Records requests, ordinances and resolutions ↗Start with the Recorder's records page for requests or approved ordinances and resolutions by year. Non-police and police records use separate request forms; choose the appropriate route and describe the document you need.

City-specific service links checked Oct. 20, 2026. The linked agency provides current service details.

Choose a task for a short checklist and the official service page. Confirm service boundaries, current fees and registration requirements with the provider.

Official links checked October 27, 2026. Schedules and charges can change.

Washington City utility application and providers

Use Apply for Utility Services Online for a new account.
Check the city's power-service distinction north versus south of the Virgin River and verify the property's provider.
Coordinate connection and disconnection dates with the seller or landlord and confirm them with Utility Billing.
Buying a newly built home means requesting your garbage and recycling containers from Washington County Solid Waste. Washington City needs two business days to move service to a new owner.

Washington City utility application and providers: official page ↗

Washington City utility payment options

Choose the official Pay Online link or read the current phone and City Hall drop-box options.
Check the service address and billed services against your account.
Use Utility Billing for city-account questions and the separately listed providers for services outside the city's supply.

Washington City utility payment options: official page ↗

Prepare a Washington City new-home permit packet

Log in to your CityInspect builder account, choose Single Family as the permit type and fill in every field, including contacts for anyone who needs inspection access.
Upload the required documents: site plan, architectural and structural plans, pad certification, ResCheck, truss documents and the water district form. Attach the signed Encroachment Permit Application for every single-family permit.
Before a certificate of occupancy, five certifications must be uploaded to the permit: blower door test, soils compliance letter, insulation, stucco and termite.

Prepare a Washington City new-home permit packet: official page ↗

Reserve a Washington City park pavilion

Most city parks have pavilions that can be reserved; other park features are first come, first served.
Submit the pavilion application online. Requests must come in at least 7 days before the event and no more than 6 months ahead.
Events with temporary structures such as bounce houses, stages, tents or amplified sound need a Limited Activities Permit (apply at least 20 days ahead for events under 199 people); large gatherings need a Special Event Permit (at least 45 days ahead).
Groups of 25 or more and commercial activities need a reservation. Questions go to the Parks Office at (435) 656-6382.

Reserve a Washington City park pavilion: official page ↗

Pick the right Washington City map

Open the Map Gallery, which holds the General Plan map, the Annexation Plan, Facilities in Washington City and the FEMA 100 Year Flood Zones.
Use the General Plan map for development context and the others for annexation, city facilities or flood questions.
The General Plan map is also offered as a PDF download.
Check each map's legend and confirm your parcel with the city before relying on a boundary.

Pick the right Washington City map: official page ↗

Local events and meetings Voting and county clerks Weather and roads

Washington City at a glance

Washington County · Utah

Washington City began on April 15, 1857, when ten families from the Cotton Mission arrived at Adair Springs, followed by 28 more that May. The settlers named the town for George Washington, and their homesickness for the South helped give the region the nickname Utah's Dixie. Its Cotton Factory, begun in 1866 and enlarged in 1870, was reputedly the largest factory west of the Mississippi. It closed in 1904, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and its second floor is open for public tours.

The city website posts agendas and minutes for the City Council, Planning Commission, Power Board and Land Use Authority, with livestreams on YouTube. Planning and zoning applications are filed online, and the utility billing page explains that the city supplies water to all customers and power north of the Virgin River. The meetings page lists public hearings ahead of time, so match the notice to the agenda and then to the minutes.

Events and meetings Regional news

Sales tax in Washington City

The combined sales and use tax rate is 7.08% (6.45% in unincorporated Washington County). Grocery food is taxed at 3.00%, restaurant meals at 8.08% and hotel stays (transient room) at 13.65%. Rates in effect as of Oct. 1, 2026. Source: Utah State Tax Commission: Sales and Use Tax Rates ↗

Who runs Washington City

Regular council meetings are held on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers, 111 N. 100 East, with workshops before them.

FY2027 budget. Resolution R2026-18, posted on the finance page as 'Budget FY2027 Adopted', adopts the 2026/2027 budgets for the city's funds. It passed June 10, 2026, with all five council members voting aye. Budget document ↗

Read from the city's own website on November 1, 2026. Meeting schedule ↗

Places and local character

Washington Cotton Mill ↗In town · The 1866 Cotton Factory, a National Register landmark, with a second floor open for public tours.
Old School and Historical Museum ↗In town · Washington City Museum in an 1877 two-story sandstone schoolhouse, staffed by the city's historical society.
Washington City parks ↗In town · City parks, trails, a community center and golf course, searchable by features on the parks page.

Resident essentials

Meetings and notices ↗Agendas, minutes, public hearing notices and how to watch.
Planning and zoning ↗Applications, general plan, forms and checklists.
Utility billing ↗Water and power service, applications and payment options.

Museum and tour access can change, so confirm with the city before visiting the Old School Museum or the mill.

Government and sources

Municipal directory · Utah municipal boundary data · Roster checked Oct. 19, 2026. Check the linked agency for current services and contacts.

Local guide sources

Local guide reviewed Oct 27, 2026. Operators provide current hours, fees, reservations and access information.