Resident-led referendum on Salt Lake County tax increase qualifies for signature process

SALT LAKE CITY — A resident-led group seeking to challenge Salt Lake County’s property tax increase has been given the green light to collect signatures on the measure.

Tax Referendum Salt Lake County’s referendum application, filed on Dec. 15, can go forward, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office determined this week. It sets up a 45-day window for the group to collect approximately 45,000 registered voters, with signatures gathered in at least 75% of voter participation areas.

The measure would go on the ballot this November, should petitioners collect enough signatures by mid-February.

“This referendum gives taxpayers a voice before another major tax hike takes effect. Families, seniors, and residents on fixed incomes are already stretched thin,” said Goud Maragani, a spokesperson for the group, in a statement on Friday. “This process ensures voters — not bureaucrats — make the final decision.”

The group of residents formed shortly after the Salt Lake County Council voted 8-1 to approve a tax increase of about 14% earlier in December. The increase equates to an additional $64.92 a year on a home valued at $638,000, down from the original proposal of about $87 proposed at the start of the budget process.

The initial request sought new funds for inflationary pressures and rising operational costs, as well as to support investments in public safety, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson explained. But the final increase was lowered after the County Council approved cuts during the budget process, some of which caused a stir.

Many residents pushed back against the closure of child care centers that were approved. The council eventually agreed to pause the closure of the Tenth East Senior Center in Salt Lake City, allowing a rebuild of the building to continue, following pushback there, as well.

Wilson and the eight members who supported the final budget opposed the referendum request after it was filed, saying that it would have “serious implications for funding critical county operations.”

“Overturning a county tax increase does not eliminate the underlying county costs or mandated responsibilities. Rather, it simply shifts how and whether the county can meet them, ultimately forcing reductions in critical services, especially for our most vulnerable — and will eventually lead to the need for an even greater tax increase down the road,” their statement read, in part.

They also noted that it’s the first increase since 2019, and inflation has “steadily grown” since then.

Maragani told KSL last month that he doesn’t believe the county did enough to slash the budget, ultimately adding to an “affordability crisis” impacting residents. The group contended on Friday that its effort won’t “defund” public safety or eliminate county services.

They say it would instead pause the increase while the county reviews administrative overhead, duplicative programs and other efficiencies that may reduce government costs. Their measure was filed the same day that county leaders shared insights from their recent meeting with a former Miami-area judge who is helping them navigate changes that, among other things, could create the same criminal justice spending efficiencies that Florida experienced.

Group organizers said the county could also cut offices that do similar work to other organizations or reduce “administrative bloat” from the budget.

“The county can avoid a tax increase by cutting less than 2% of overall spending, a level of adjustment that families routinely make when budgets tighten,” the group said in a statement.