CACHE COUNTY – Residents of Cache County who are on pins and needles over a 20 percent property tax increase proposed by members of the County Council will have to wait another week for the suspense to end.
During a special meeting on Dec. 3, the members of the Cache County Council kicked the can down the road, postponing any final decision on the county’s budget for 2025 until their next meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
The hold-up on the budget is a public hearing on salary adjustments for elected officials, which is also scheduled to take place on Dec. 10.
During budget debate on Dec. 3, the members of the council already excluded themselves and other elected officials from proposed holiday bonuses and other pay increases in 2025.
Other discussions during that meeting centered on nearly 80 budget cut proposal circulated by Council Chair David Erickson to other council members on Nov. 26. The pros and cons of those reductions were debated at length, with most of them eventually being approved.
Some of those cuts drew fire from Deputy County Executive Dirk Anderson, who argued that some department heads would be blind-sided by the budget cuts that the council was approving without prior consultation.
Erickson replied that, at this stage of the game, the proposed budget was the council’s responsibility and that reductions in what he called “bloated budgets” were necessary if the county is to avoid inflicting the full impact of the proposed 20 percent property tax increase on local residents.
As presented by Finance Director Wes Bingham, the proposed budget for 2025 totaled more than $107.6 million, plus a budget of more than $500,00 for the Logan-Cache Airport Authority.
A well-reasoned plea from Human Resources Director Amy Adams saved a safety incentive program from cuts and the County Executive’s Office was also eventually spared budget reductions thanks to council member Barbara Tidwell reversing an earlier vote.
The council members also approved end-of-year bonuses for 2025 for all county employees of $160 for full-time workers and $75 for part-time workers.
That decision represented a significant reduction from the current year when the county council approved bonuses in the amount of $379 for full-time employees and $189 for part-time employees, subject to regular taxes and withholding.
The council members also took care of Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters, guaranteeing them competitive market pay hikes, while approving 2 percent merit increases for all other employees.
Late in the evening, the council members turned their attention to the elephant in the room, the proposed 20 percent property tax hike.
County officials say the intended purpose of that tax increase is to raise revenues needed to meet the costs of competitive wage increases, additional staffing, infrastructure projects and the inflationary costs of goods.
Bingham presented alternative revenue projections for the property tax increase for council members to consider at levels of 10 percent, 15 percent and 20 percent.
At a 10 percent level, a proposed tax increase would generate about $1.6 million in additional revenue. At 15 and 20 percent levels, the proposed tax increases would generate an estimated $2.5 million and $3.3 million respectively.
Erickson explained that due to a procedural change recently passed by the Utah Legislature, the council is required to provide additional public notice of the hearing on elected officials’ pay for county residents.
Members of the local Council of Mayors are also scheduled to address the county council on Dec. 10.
That meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Cache County Historic Courthouse at 199 North Main Street in Logan.