Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson is proposing a nearly 20% property tax increase for 2026, the first hike since 2019.
KSL.com reports Wilson said the increase is needed to meet rising costs and maintain the county’s bond rating. She noted that inflation since the pandemic and the end of federal financial support during the health crisis has created financial challenges that cannot be solved with any other feasible solution.
“During that time, county leaders have worked hard to absorb growing expenses and rising demand for services within their operations,” she said in an address to the Salt Lake County Council. “However, after exhausting every other option, a property tax increase of 19.63% is necessary this year.”
Wilson predicted the average cost of the tax hike would be about $7.28 per household per month and would contribute $48.9 million to the county’s revenue. The tax money would cover the costs of country services including tax administration, information technology, data security and government operations, while it would also “support investments in public safety to meet increased caseloads and growing demands on the county jail, the district attorney’s office and programs that provide alternatives to incarceration.”
Wilson acknowledged the proposal will not be embraced with universal support but warned that “the county is at a point where we have no responsible alternative. For years, Salt Lake County has absorbed rising costs — including health care, utilities, technology, staff compensation and infrastructure — without raising taxes. Those costs have now outpaced revenue growth for too long, creating a structural gap we can no longer ignore.”
A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for the Salt Lake County Government Center on Dec. 9 at 6 pm.
No way to gain any context from this story when we don’t know where their current tax rate stands in the overall scheme of things. The property tax rate where I am in Kansas is just over a third as much as some family members in Peoria, Illinois. The spot we regularly visit in Colorado enjoys low property tax rates compared to the home values.
If the average household is affected to the tune of $7.28 per month or $87 per year to absorb the 20% increase, they must have extremely low rates to begin with.
Wow – what a camouflage of the numbers! The $7.28 per month or $87 per year makes no sense – sounds like an easy justification for the cause of increasing our taxes – Not to may of us would come to the table and complain if the increase was that low – I’m sure thats what the County is planning on.
Try this number on; The average sales price of a single family home in Salt Lake County this year (2025) has been $642,101.00 (Just homes). Conservatively if all the homes in Salt Lake County were owner occupied then each home owner would roughly receive a 45% Residential Exemption Reduction so that $642,101.00 taxable value would go down to $353,156.00. Multiply $353,156.00 X 19.63 proposed tax increase = $693.00 per year or $57.00 per month. That’s a lot higher right? And this number is extremely conservative.
“Give us a break Jenny”