Sandy City mayor discusses proposal to raise taxes by 32%

SALT LAKE CITY — Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski has proposed a 32% increase in property taxes this year. 

She told KSL NewsRadio that inflation is the main driver behind the request.

 

“The big reason that we are seeking a property tax increase is to keep up with the cost rising cost of inflation,” Zoltanski said. “Our city budget has been hit just like your household budget and mine by rising fuel costs, supply chain, rising construction costs, and, most notably, this year: our personnel costs.

“We are investing heavily in bringing our employee pay in Sandy up to average, not leaps and bounds above the rest, but up to average. I’m fighting as mayor to get my employees’ pay to average what other cities are paying,” Zoltanski said.

Tax hike also needed for public safety says mayor

Specifically, Mayor Zoltanski said she is losing fire safety personnel to other cities. The mayor’s budget proposal includes hiring eight firefighters, building a new fire station, and rebuilding the main fire station.

“Sandy should definitely be competitive with what our sister cities are paying,” Zoltanski said. “They’re the backbone of every operation. Every time you turn around you need a city engineer, a city attorney, a city planner, a police officer or a firefighter, a parks and rec team.”

What a 32% tax hike looks like for Sandy residents

How much will a 32% tax hike take from a resident’s bottom line?

The mayor offered this answer, found on the Sandy City government website:

Sandy City is now considering its budget for the next fiscal year. Right now, there is a proposed 32% increase on the table, which may sound high. But that percentage ONLY impacts the small (9%) piece of the pie that goes toward running our local government.

“That translates to $9 a month for the average Sandy home value and for our businesses that’s $16 a month,” the mayor said.

“Now for the investment in public safety, when people understand it’s $9 a month, not hundreds of dollars a month, they take a deep sigh of relief and they say ‘OK, I get it. Everyday expenses are going up everywhere. We don’t like it, but we want our services and we want our public safety and we certainly support our police and fire. So we’re good with it.”

Mayor Zoltanski said it was important to be straightforward and honest with Sandy taxpayers.

“When I came to office, I made a promise to my residents that I was going to be straightforward, honest and transparent with what the true needs of our city are. And public safety’s in my view, that’s Number One,” the mayor said.

Related: Calls to remove sales tax on food, lawmakers say it’s complicated

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