As many cities mull property tax hikes, Weber County OKs 0.2% sales tax increase

OGDEN — As many cities around Utah debate property tax hikes in connection with budgeting for 2026-2027, Weber County officials went another route, adopting a sales tax increase that could generate $8 million to $12 million a year.

Weber County commissioners on Tuesday approved a 0.2% sales tax hike that will generate extra revenue for public safety and/or transportation for the county as well as the 16 locales in the county. Officials touted the change as an alternative to boosting property taxes.

"This gives us another pot of money to use without making the taxpayers that own real property in this county pay for those services entirely," said Commissioner Gage Froerer.

The collective sales tax rate in most Weber County cities, including Ogden, Roy, West Haven and North Ogden — the county's largest locales — will go from 7.25% to 7.45% when the 0.2% hike takes effect on Oct. 1. The collective figure includes the varied state, city and other local sales taxes.

Froerer said the increase could generate some $8 million to $12 million in new revenue per year, citing estimates provided by the Wasatch Front Regional Council. About $2 million to $3 million of that would go to the county while the rest would be distributed to the 16 cities and locales based on population, the larger locales getting more.

"All of our cities in this county are going to benefit from this effort," said Stephanie Russell, economic development director for the county. Language inserted in a state transportation bill during the 2026 legislative session creates the authority for the 0.2% hike, she and Froerer said.

Cities may use the funds generated by the new tax to cover transportation expenses, like road improvements, while the county may use the new revenue to cover expenses related to transportation and public safety.

County funds, Froerer said, could go to the Weber County Sheriff's Office to help expand mental health offerings at the Weber County Jail or to the Weber County Attorney's Office to keep prosecutors from leaving for better pay elsewhere. "More than likely, most of it would go to the sheriff's office," Froerer said.

Sheriff Ryan Arbon has been pushing to upgrade or expand the sheriff's office and jail facility, but voters in 2023 rejected a $98 million bond proposal to cover the costs of an expansion. He has said improvements are still needed.

Being budget season, when Utah's cities are in the midst of crafting spending plans for the coming fiscal year, many are considering property tax hikes to generate extra revenue local officials say they need. Froerer touted increases sales taxes as a more palatable means of boosting taxes, in part because out-of-state visitors are among the pool of people who pay it, not just locals.

"Keep in mind, a lot of the sales and use tax comes from people outside the state, outside Weber County. They're using our hotels, using our restaurants," Froerer said.

He estimated that new tax would generate an extra $460,000 to $1.6 million a year per city, based on population.

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