Hildale city officials propose large tax increase, cite critical needs in police, fire departments
by Arianne Brown ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- Hildale residents may face a 167.79% property tax increase for 2027.
- The increase aims to raise $210,219 for police and fire department funding.
- A public hearing is scheduled Wednesday at Hildale City Hall with virtual attendance.
HILDALE, Washington County— Residents of Hildale could see a significant increase in their property taxes, and city council members are holding a public hearing Wednesday to discuss it.
The proposed tax increase would give the city an additional $210,219 in property tax revenue per year, which is a 167.79% increase above last year. The cost to taxpayers is also steep.
According to a public notice sent out by the city, if the proposed increase is approved, tax on a $453,000 residence would increase from $267.09 to $715.56, which is $448.47 per year. Additionally, tax on a $453,000 business would increase from $485.62 to $1301.02, which equates to $815.40 per year.
A property tax impact schedule published on the city's website notes that a large portion of the proposed 2027 budget increase will go to the police and fire departments, stating that "Without the proposed tax increase, police services would be reduced below the level needed to maintain current operations."
"Residents could experience reduced law enforcement presence, longer response times, and a decline in the level of public safety services," the city's impact schedule read.
Regarding the increased funds for the fire department, the city also noted that without the increase, it "would not have sufficient funding to meet the financial obligations of its current Fire Services Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), which could affect the City's ability to maintain its current level of fire protection services."
City officials invited "all concerned citizens" to the hearing that will take place at Hildale City Hall at 6 p.m., with the option to attend virtually.
No action will be taken during the public hearing.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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Arianne Brown
Arianne Brown is a reporter covering southern Utah communities, with a focus on heart-warming stories and local happenings. She has been a reporter for 14 years.