Wasatch County has approved a 2026 budget designed to meet community needs while maintaining fiscal conservatism. The county intends to provide balanced service levels without requesting a tax increase for the second year in a row, utilizing revenue from all 25 available funds to avoid additional taxpayer requests.
The General Fund budget for 2026 totals $52 million. This base budget allocates revenues from property taxes, grants, permits, fees, and transfers from other funds toward essential services and infrastructure.
Key infrastructure investments include improvements to Snake Creek Road and flood control measures, specifically the completion of the Lake Creek debris basin and splitter. The county also plans to finish the courthouse expansion project and begin construction on a new administration building using existing revenue sources.
To support growth in residential and commercial development, the budget includes adding a building inspector and a permit technician. The cost for these positions is expected to be offset by increases in development-related fees and permits. Other new positions include a road maintenance role, a facility maintenance role, a civil attorney, and seven positions within the sheriff’s office, which include a professional standards director, two dispatchers, one patrol officer, one school resource officer, and two bailiffs.
Public safety initiatives are allocated $2.2 million in the 2026 budget. This funding supports new sheriff's office positions, improvements to jail facility safety, and matching funds for a grant to purchase a new dispatch console system. Additionally, $169,000 will be transferred from the General Fund to the General Use Capital Improvement Fund for future public safety capital projects.
Regarding road maintenance, the county is implementing a recurring $750,000 transfer from the Transportation Fund, bringing the pavement maintenance budget to $1.6 million. This effort aims to maintain an average remaining service life of over 10 years for the county's 327 miles of Class B roads and prevent costly reconstruction projects.
The 2026 budget also maintains unchanged service levels for paratransit, micro transit, and fixed-route bus services. While property tax rates may fluctuate due to changes in property values or adjustments by other taxing entities like municipalities and school districts, the county's approach aims to ensure stable funding and improved quality of life through strategic resource management.
