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Summit County considers tax increase to cover next year’s budget

Summit County Courthouse
Bailey Edelstein
/
Summit County
Summit County Courthouse

Summit County residents could be paying roughly $170 more on their property tax next year.

The public will see Summit County’s draft budget for the first time at the Oct. 11 county council meeting.

There’s a roughly $7.5 million revenue shortfall to make up, so the county is budgeting a tax increase that would bring in almost $5.5 million annually.

What’s being proposed is tax increases for the county general fund, municipal services fund, assessing and collecting fund and service area #6, which conducts road maintenance and snow removal.

County Manager Shayne Scott explained the county doesn’t need to cover the full shortfall amount because some of the line items are one-time proposals. For example, the county needs to expand Three Mile Landfill, which is a one-time purchase.

The bulk of the recurring funding will go toward new hires and EMS funding. Summit County is planning to fund a basic countywide level of EMS service local fire departments will provide.

Scott said the county has had high legal costs this year, suing Dakota Pacific Real Estate and handling the extremely high-profile Kouri Richins case.

“Not only outside counsel efforts, but also expert witnesses,” he said. “We've had to invoke some technology in certain aspects and that may serve as well beyond just [the Richins case]. But it's been a very unique case.”

There's also $500,000 set aside for a potential housing authority.

Summit County is budgeting $150,000 for county employee child care too. Scott said an internal review showed county employees in Coalville have the greatest need.

The Summit County Council will discuss the budget at its meeting Wednesday, Oct. 11, at the Ledges Event Center in Coalville.

The council won’t finalize it until the end of the calendar year. Any Truth-in-Taxation hearings are tentatively scheduled for Dec. 6 and Dec. 13.