ST. GEORGE — A proposed property tax increase attached to the tentative 2023 budget for the city of St. George drew both support and opposition during a City Council meeting held Thursday. The proposed tax increase is meant to provide funding toward a five-year public safety plan officials say is needed to help the city’s fire and police department keep pace with the city’s growth.

“No one wants to be a part of this tax increase discussion,” councilmember Jimmie Hughes said. “There are going to be so many people who are really upset and some who are going to be really happy.”

The city’s 2023 budget runs an estimated 502.6 million and focuses heavily on public safety, infrastructure and facility improvements. The budget is also a $78 million increase from the previous year due to the “significant investments” being made in the aforementioned areas. Along with a multitude of capital projects listed, the budget also contains a series of fee increases for utilities services and recreation facilities.

A general breakdown of the city’s 2023 budget and the projects it covers can be found here. The overall recommended budget can be accessed on the City of St. George website.

Among the significant investments outlined in the budget is $89 million toward what city officials call the Safe St. George plan. Over the next five years, the city hopes to gain 68 new hires for the Police Departments, 36 new hires for the Fire Department, fund the construction of four new fire stations, purchase of 12 new fire trucks and related vehicles and 146 new police vehicles.

The plan would also covers compensation for new hires and the officers the city retains.

A majority of the funding for the five-year plan is coming from a variety of current city resources, according a presentation given during Thursday’s council meeting. Those sources include impact fees, grants and capital project funds, as well as the proposed property tax increase which would provide an estimated 26% of the overall funding.

The proposed tax increase equates to an estimated $5 per month, or $60 a year increase for a home with an average market value of $556,000.

The proposed increase has the potential to be followed by two additional tax hikes in over the next five years should the amount from the original proposal not be enough to cover Safe St. George plan after the 2023 fiscal year.

“We would not be proposing a tax increase if we did not believe it was necessary,” City Manager Adam Lenhard said. “We need to invest in our public safety. It is time. They are being overwhelmed.”

Lenhard’s words were echoed by supporters of the tax increase which included a mix of residents, St. George Police officers and the spouses of police officers.

St. George Police Lt. Johnny Heppler, a 20-year veteran of the police force, said the police department needed more officers in order to adequately cover a city that had grown at an astounding rate. Not being able to keep up with the growth was creating a dangerous situation for both officers and residents, he said.

“The calls for service have increased dramatically, as have violent incidents,” he said, adding the additional personnel and resources the property tax would help cover “will bless the lives our officers and citizens.”

Lenhard and other city officials said this would be the first property tax increase for St. George in 35 years. The city’s property tax rates is also among the lowest in the county and the state overall, he said.

While the proposed tax increase had its supporters, it also had its detractors who made up the majority of those who spoke before the City Council during the public hearing held prior to the adoption of the proposed budget.

“I don’t think this is the best time to have a tax increase,” resident Brad Bennett told the council. It was a sentiment carried by many others who said seeking a tax increase during a time of record inflation and oncoming recession was too much to ask of residents.

Another resident said that if the city didn’t currently have enough money to pay its public safety personnel, than the city itself was being mismanaged.

Suggestions of pulling funding from other sources, such as the city’s park and recreation projects and facilities, was also made by a handful of residents. One resident suggested the city consider selling one of its golf courses to help fund the five-year public safety plan versus a tax increase.

One member of the council who has expressed support for diverting some funding from parks and recreation to public safety has been councilmember Michelle Tanner. While she emphasized that she is not against these parts of the city, she also said she felt they should be less of a funding priority.

Tanner also reiterated her support for the city’s fire and police personnel and balked against any insinuation that someone not supporting the proposed tax increase was somehow at odds with the city’s public safety. From her time on the campaign trail for council to now, Tanner has expressed an ardent support for public safety which she calls her top priority.

“I’ve never stated ‘defund the parks,’” she said during the meeting. “I think there are alternative (funding) solutions… Why can’t we look at other options?”

Councilwoman Danielle Larkin said she believed the council and city staff had looked at all of the options and that the proposed tax hike was “minimal.”

“We’re looking at a budget that’s been six months in the making by professionals,” she said. “We need to give raises to our police and fire.”

It is not uncommon for municipalities to begin budget planning in January and spend the following months crafting the next fiscal year’s budget. Under state law, the a budget must be balanced and passed before the end of June as the next fiscal year starts July 1.

In the case of the St. George 2023 budget, a tentative copy with the proposed tax increase was passed during Thursday’s meeting in a 4-1 vote with Tanner being the sole dissenter.

An additional vote was had to open the truth in taxation process required prior to the potential adoption and implementation of any proposed tax increase. This also passed with a 4-1 vote with Tanner voting against it.

Tanner declined to speak to reporters following Thursday’s council meeting and posted a statement to Facebook later that evening blasting the approval of the pending tax increase by the rest of the council.

Tanner called out Mayor Michele Randall for asking police officers to attend the council meeting as a way to tip the vote in favor of the tax increase.

“Several officers spoke to the effect of their department being neglected now for several years and one made a great point that he supports the increased taxes because he has never seen another plan presented to provide for their needs,” Tanner wrote. “It is extremely disheartening that the ONLY plan presented is to raise taxes.”

She also wrote that the city should prioritize its budget better and seek more creative means of funding from the private sector for “lower priority items that take away from our public safety needs.”

A final version of the budget will be adopted following the results of the truth in taxation public hearing to be held at the St. George City Hall on August 18 at 5 p.m. Whether or not the budget includes the tax increase or not will be determined at that time.

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