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TOOELE — The residents of Tooele County have voiced varying reactions to the 66 percent tax increase passed Tuesday night.
The tax increase passed by the Tooele County commission came as the county's first tax increase in 27 years.
Surprisingly, many residents who came to the meeting supported the tax hike because they said they don't see any other option. The county has been in a major financial crisis for the past year after a $4 million budget shortfall led to dozens of lay offs of county employees.
"I'm here to tell you that I believe that we need to raise taxes," said a resident at the meeting. "That's not going to restore the cut employees, that's not going to restore to the glory days."
Workers in nearly every department were affected and residents have seen delays in services. The county has even resorted to un-paving several roads because it just can't afford the upkeep of the pavement.
One major contributor to this problem started back in 1999 when the Deseret Peak Complex opened. It took $18 million to pay for the massive building that holds one of the state's largest swimming pools, motocross tracks, horse racing and much more. The county borrowed from internal accounts to keep it open when the recession hit.
I don't need grass to tell me that if you can't manage a dollar you don't get two.
–Tooele County resident at commission meeting Tuesday night
"I don't need grass to tell me that if you can't manage a dollar you don't get two," said another resident at the meeting who opposes the hike. And according to the county treasurer, the loan amount was $6.5 million. That situation mixed with closing the Deseret Chemical Depot in 2012 ended federal money coming their way.
Stu Pollack, who has been living in the county 80 years, says it's time to get out of the financial hole.
"We've been living on those mitigation funds a long time. It is time we started paying our way," Pollack said.
Most residents KSL-TV talked with agreed a tax hike would help, but there were others who said they don't want to fix the county's problem.
"I went through tough times myself, opposed to that," said resident Jonathan Garrard. "It would be nice if the people would listen to the people who don't make a whole lot because they are the ones that are affected the most."
The 66 percent tax hike is part of a plan the county believes will bring Tooele out of the red within three to five years. County taxes on a $150,000 home will increase about $75 a year. Others say regardless of how the county got here, they can't live with increases of $75.
"I'm retired. I'm living off a fixed income and those kind of things are going to drive me out of Tooele and probably to the poor house," said a resident Tuesday night at the meeting.
Tooele County has already been cutting back. In March the county canceled the fair and in May it cut its relief services. The county has also recently started un-paving roads including the Pony Express Trail.
