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ST. GEORGE — Local police and fire chiefs have sounded the alarm for years that increasing health insurance costs and salaries have been hiking needed funds, and those needs are becoming a growing tumor in city budgets.
But even as local residents have shown overwhelming support for increases in police, fire and emergency medical services, some have shown concern with the idea of using an increase in property taxes to fund those increases.
That has left local mayors and city council members at a loss of how to raise the funds needed to maintain and enhance public safety.
"That's the challenge," Ivins Mayor Chris Hart said. "Are we able to pay for what we want to have?"
A local representative in the state Legislature thinks he has the answer, but it still uses that three-letter word: tax.
Sponsored by Rep. Joseph Elison, R-Toquerville, local option sales tax amendments, designated HB442 in the 2024 Utah legislative session, would allow cities and county commissions in larger counties with 1 million people or fewer to impose a sales tax to fund emergency services like fire departments and EMS.
