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Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget Unresolved Items

At a glance

  • What: The Council's June 2026 follow-up on budget items left unresolved in the Mayor's recommended Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget: possible cuts, deferrals and refocused programs, weighed against the size of the property tax increase.
  • Where it stands: Discussed at the June 11, 2026 work session, with no votes. Members agreed the discussion would inform decisions after updated revenue estimates. The Council had until June 22, 2026 to set the property tax increase limit. The remaining items were settled by straw poll on June 16 and the interim budget was adopted that evening (see Fiscal Year 2026-27 City Budget); the final budget followed (see Fiscal Year 2026-27 Property Tax Increase).
  • Status: Resolved through the later budget adoption.

Context

Jennifer Bruno said updated new-growth information looked favorable relative to the Mayor's recommended budget, though not final. Members discussed the combined effect of a property tax increase and public utility increases, support for core services, predictability for future budgets, and whether savings should shrink the proposed increase or build fund balance. Briefings ran May 28, June 2, June 9 and June 11, 2026, with public hearings on May 19 and June 2.

Items discussed

  • Hive Pass: a possible cut because of cost, usage and administrative burden. Members weighed low participation against value for families and transit access, and a possible future partnership with Utah Transit Authority to administer discounted passes. A resident urged the Council to keep the program at the June 9 meeting (2026-06-09 - City Council Formal Meeting).
  • Landscape Exchange Program: a one-year pause with a way to revisit it later. Puy requested a legislative intent to explore similar programs, private-sector partnerships and an income-qualified voucher.
  • Drone program and related equipment: whether costs could be delayed, reduced or shifted; the drone dock; a 5-month delay in starting the program. Young asked for clarification on pilot funding and infrastructure; Michael Sanders said staff would follow up after checking with the Police Department.
  • Police cameras, supplies and equipment: a possible reduction from the Funding Our Futures budget; repair and replacement versus new purchases; the effect on crime hotspots.
  • Police Leadership Development Program: a 50 percent reduction rather than full elimination, given the value of leadership and trauma-informed training for morale and retention.
  • Public Lands staffing and Park Rangers: Kim Shelley and Allison Rowland clarified this is a reduction and rescoping, not cancellation. Concern that cuts would push calls for service onto other departments. Puy asked how fewer rangers would affect education programs, patrol hours and park experiences; Young asked whether core duties would suffer and whether impacts would be limited to certain parks. Shelley agreed to provide the information.
  • Food Microgrant Program and utility assistance: general support for reducing the budget and refocusing on household food production with reduced flat grants, or alternatively cutting the organizational component and keeping the higher grant amount. Priority for fixed-income and multigenerational households. Petro requested a legislative intent that City voucher programs advance City goals such as reducing emissions and moving to cleaner energy, rather than mainly making planned actions cheaper, across all voucher programs.
  • Community Health Access Team (CHAT): a third team to expand alternative response, with social workers as the central need. Jill Love and Members noted the Administration did not propose it because of budget limits. Young asked whether the estimate included operating and equipment costs.
  • IMS Innovation Program: a proposed scale-back with clearer goals and measures, discussed with Love, Zach Posner, Bruno, Lehua Weaver and Mary Beth Thompson; a legislative intent for a mid-year pilot report with success metrics. Examples of returns included reduced customer wait times.
  • Capital Improvement Program and deferred maintenance: discussed with Thompson, Shelley, Love and Jorge Chamorro; a possible partial cut to urban trails funding and a one-year deferral of the Washington Park septic project. Puy asked for data on the deferral. See Capital Improvement Program.
  • National League of Cities membership and travel: a possible one-year pause in membership and conference participation; travel and registration savings versus intergovernmental value; Utah League of Cities and Towns dues.
  • Golf funding: the remaining $500,000 is tied to Energy Service Company (ESCO) debt entered into several years ago; no ongoing subsidy was proposed. Members stressed using funds for course maintenance and capital improvements.
  • Tree maintenance and health: a possible priority if savings were found elsewhere, framed as preservation rather than expansion; departments to identify what could be done with $136,000.

Closing discussion

Members differed on the value of small reductions but broadly agreed on the need to strengthen reserves, prepare for unforeseen expenses and consider the cumulative burden on residents.

Sources

Log

2026-06-16 - City Council Work Session

Final follow-up: straw polls settled the remaining items (drone pilot, license plate reader subgrant, leadership program, seasonal staff, trails, tree maintenance). Votes and the same-night adoptions are on Fiscal Year 2026-27 City Budget.

2026-06-11 - City Council Work Session

Ninety-minute follow-up briefing on unresolved budget items; four legislative intent or information requests recorded; no votes.

2026-06-09 - City Council Formal Meeting

A resident urged the Council to continue the Hive Pass program during general comment.

2026-06-09 - City Council Work Session

Third follow-up. Jennifer Bruno reviewed hypothetical options for the property tax increase and the Key Expense Changes spreadsheet; Council agreed to meet June 11, and Puy asked members to prepare reductions and say whether each should come from the increase or the General Fund. Straw poll: reduce the Council Office operations budget by 5 percent, all members present in favor. Fleet Fuel removed from further consideration.

2026-06-02 - LBA, CRA and Council Formal Meeting

Public hearing speakers Michael Kroll, Shannon Woulfe and Kabrina Miller urged continued Hive Pass funding; others asked for housing, transit and social service priorities over police funding increases.

2026-06-02 - City Council Work Session

Jennifer Bruno said follow-up information on the Fleet, Sustainability, Public Lands and Police items would be discussed June 9, and that staff were reviewing Council Office reductions and the effect of cutting the proposed property tax increase by 1 million dollars. Petro asked for a summary of the fee increases residents would face. Source: https://slc.primegov.com/Public/CompiledDocument/44836

2026-05-28 - City Council Work Session

Bruno said the Council would consider two scenarios, with and without a property tax increase. Young asked to add staffing for a third CHAT; Puy asked to add Park Ranger reductions, the IMS innovation set-aside, Capital Improvement Program reductions and the cost of administering the Hive Pass. Members also discussed fuel budget uncertainty, labor agreements and YouthCity funding. Source: https://slc.primegov.com/Public/CompiledDocument/44484