- Davis County commissioners approved a 14.9% property tax increase in a 2-1 vote Tuesday night.
- The increase, Davis County's first since 2017, aims to generate $6 million.
- Many residents criticized the decision, citing financial strain.
FARMINGTON — The Davis County Commission approved the county's first property tax increase in nearly a decade of just under 15%.
Davis County leaders in October proposed a property tax hike of up to 30% for 2026. That increase, according to county commissioners, would have generated $12.68 million in efforts to offset inflation and address growing demand for services and pay increases for county employees.
Last month, county commissioners said they were considering a lower rate of 14.9%. Commissioner Bob Stevenson said at a meeting in early November that county officials could get away with an increase of 9.9%, adding that "we will be more than healthy for at least the next two years before we have to look at anything else."
Controller Scott Parke, who has been tasked with crafting a balanced budget for the county, said last month that both the 30% and 14.9% would still likely result in service and job cuts.
During Tuesday's meeting, Parke acknowledged the tough decision commissioners were faced with, but he also reiterated what the future may hold if more revenue isn't generated.
"If we fail to truly balance our budget, we will find ourselves back here in this very same situation in a few short years, asking for another tax increase," he said before commissioners.
The 14.9% property tax increase, the county's first since 2017, is expected to generate around $6 million for the county. Owners of the average home in Davis County will see about a $4 monthly increase to their taxes.
Prior to proposing the tax increase, Davis County officials said they've taken several steps to save money, such as eliminating more than a dozen positions, which, according to a dedicated website on the proposal, saved the county approximately $1.6 million per year.
"These actions have helped, but they aren't enough to close the gap between ongoing costs and ongoing revenue," an explainer on the county's website reads.
The website also makes note of a Utah Taxpayers Association report that found that Davis County had the seventh-lowest taxes, per capita, out of Utah's 29 counties.
In a public hearing that persisted for more than two hours, dozens of residents packed inside the commission's main chambers commented, with some people even having to wait in overflow rooms to weigh in on the matter. Many strongly criticized the proposed tax increase, calling it excessive and calling for more fiscal responsibility from county leaders.
"Whether the increase is 30%, 14.9% or even 6%, the proposed tax hike is excessive, poorly timed and out of touch," said Paul Stress, a South Weber resident. "Homeowners are already at the breaking point, families struggling with inflation and are now to shoulder even more."
"My husband and I would be contributing to a retirement account instead of this," Lezlie Branum, another resident, said in a virtual comment. "So it's not just a specific tax amount, but also the loss of compound interest over time as people approach retirement."
But the public comment period wasn't the only intense portion of the truth-in-taxation meeting. County commissioners were also divided on the matter.
Commissioner Bob Stevenson doubled down on the idea of a 9.9% property tax increase. While it would have a much less impact on taxpayers, he said it wouldn't come without some implications.
"We are going to have to turn around and go back through our budget and we are going to have to figure out ways to make cuts to try to make things more efficient," he said.
Commissioner John Crofts said he wasn't in favor of either of the proposed tax increases and argued that more efforts could be made to save the county money.
"I don't believe that it's in the best interest of Davis County residents for commissioners to be tone deaf to their wishes, and I am not in support of a tax increase," he said.
Stevenson and Crofts motioned to move their proposals forward, but both failed. In a seeming move to compromise, Lorene Kamalu, chairwoman of the commission, motioned to approve the 14.9% property tax increase.
"That has always been out on the table as an option and I feel comfortable making that motion," Kamalu said.
The resolution passed 2-1, with Crofts dissenting.
Commissioners initially were not expected to take action on the property tax matter on Tuesday, but they opted to do so, since the county's 2026 budget has yet to be finalized.
"The benefit of taking action tonight is so that the controller can continue working on the tentative budget — without an amount of target, he can't continue to do that very important work," Kamalu noted.
Commissioners expect to finalize and vote on the county's 2026 budget by mid-December.
