September 2021 | Vol. 18 Iss. 09
FREE
A FIRST FOR EVERYTHING:
CITY PASSED FIRST-EVER TAX INCREASE, HIKES RATE 50% By Zak Sonntag | Z.Sonntag@mycityjournals.com
I
n August, the City of Holladay took a decisive vote to hike taxes on property owners to pay for its coveted infrastructure overhauls and help modernize an outdated revenue model whose overreliance on grant money made it vulnerable to the whims of external largesse. The increase will rattle an additional $17 from the piggy bank of an average Holladay homeowner each month, bumping the city’s annual levy from $407 to $610 on the standard homeowner in Holladay, where the median home price is valued at $642,000. The council’s decision caused trepidation, as asking anyone for more money is rarely a joy. Yet, ultimately, the unanimous body cast their votes without apology. “Whether or not it’s smart politically I don’t care. I’m voting for it because we have many needs that are staring us in the face like an oncoming 18-wheeler,” said Councilmember Dan Gibbons of District 5, encapsulating the body’s argument that the decision came of necessity. The 50% increase is a pole vault in comparison to the incremental approach of most taxing authorities. But in the eyes of the leaders, the city was painted into a corner because for years one council after the next forestalled addressing fundamental foibles in the city’s revenue model. The council’s central pitch was that a large increase could not be avoided if the city wants to maintain its quality of life; both to keep pace with the inflationary costs of public safety as well as repair and maintain critical infrastructure. It’s a “young city, old bones,” as the saying goes, and if those bones buckle, we’ll all be worse off, the council contended. Holladay residents mostly conceded to the logic that quality communities don’t come free. Yet residents overwhelmingly chided the size Continued page 5 City deliberates during first ever Truth in Taxation process (Zak Sonntag/City Journals)
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