We are in budget season again. A friend of mine commented that the city budget is complicated. He stated that he mistrusts the federal government and then asked, “How do I know that the City of Bluffdale is spending our money wisely?
Every resident may not be able to understand everything about the budget, but there are indicators that can give us comfort that Bluffdale is stretching its revenues to do as much as possible with our limited revenue.
We have an expectation that our city will provide us with certain services and facilities. Our residents may disagree on what services are important, but we all enjoy the collective benefits they bring to our community.
Unfortunately, the services and amenities have an associated, ongoing cost. One indicator that Bluffdale is using our money wisely is that it has been able to provide high levels of services and amenities, despite the fact that our revenues per resident are lower than our neighboring cities.
One reason for lower revenues per resident is that we still have extensive areas with 1+ acre lots. Larger, residential lots generate less revenue per acre and per person than high-density and commercial. We have had a significant increase in higher density housing in Bluffdale in the last few years and our commercial and retail properties are just starting to take off, but it is not enough.
Another indicator that the City is using our funds wisely is our low property tax rate. With our mix of properties as described above, one would expect our property tax rate to be one of the highest in the county. It’s not; it’s one of the very lowest.
Another indicator that the City is using our funds wisely is that the City Council has had very few tax increases. Our police contract has increased because of the need for new officers and a raise in salary to meet the market demand. I have met with our officers, and they do not feel safe with our current level of staffing. We also need to move to a full-time fire department, because of the extreme growth in our commercial and residential areas of the city. Since the budget is so tight, we need more revenue to cover increased levels of services.
Bluffdale City has government accounting professionals with years of experience, creating and maintaining a very tight and efficient budget. Because of the feedback from the residents regarding a tax increase, the City Council has asked staff to cut every non-essential expense possible. The residents have asked to keep our recreation programs and Old West Days events.
This year, to pay for the services requested by police and fire departments, the City Council will need to raise revenue by instituting a fee or by increasing the property tax rate. Even with an increase, our property taxes would be one of the lowest in the County.
As I review the indicators listed above, and as I work with our city staff and City Council on financial issues, I am very confident that Bluffdale manages our money wisely. I recommend maintaining all of our service levels included in the current draft of the budget and increasing our revenue to pay the costs.
You can email your questions to myself or set up a time to meet and talk nhall@bluffdale.gov. I may also put you in contact with our Finance Department, City Manager, and others. Let’s work together to be informed about the budgeting process. There are many other places you can go to get information.
Resources to learn about our city budget
FAQs on Bluffdale City Finance: www.bluffdale.gov/Finance
Proposed, current, and past city budgets: www.bluffdale.gov/Budget
Articles in past Bluffdale Times newsletters about budgeting: www.bluffdale.gov/Newsletter
Attend, watch, and re-watch City Council meetings: www.bluffdale.gov/AgendaCenter - Council Meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at 6 pm
Taxes and Impact Fees Explanation from the Utah League of Cities and Towns: www.ulct.org/resources/taxes-and-impact-fees
Property tax rates and certified tax rate (crt) information: www.slco.org/property-tax/tax-rates;
Utah Taxpayers Association: www.utahtaxpayers.org