Summit County Search and Rescue operations are funded by county property taxes.
While they fund search and rescue’s annual operational cost of $45,000, residents don’t typically use their services.
According to 2023 data, 97% of calls for service to Summit County Search Rescue were from people living outside the county.
Summit County is proposing a [0.5%] one-half percent sales tax increase on the November ballot to help pay for search and rescue, along with emergency medical services, law enforcement and expansion of the Three Mile Landfill. That equates to 50 cents on applicable purchases of $100. Gas, medical prescriptions and groceries would be excluded from the potential sales tax increase.
The county estimates about 65% of sales tax revenue is generated by nonresidents.
Summit County Councilmember Canice Harte says the proposed sales tax increase would help the county take advantage of visitor spending.
“Any money that’s collected from this half-percent, which is the proposed amount, has to be used to offset the impacts of tourism,” Harte said. “The purpose of this tax would be to try to get people that live outside the county as much as possible to cover the cost of these impacts.”
Similar to search and rescue dispatches, the majority of 911 calls in Summit County are from nonresidents.
Summit County hasn’t increased property taxes since 2017, but residents have faced larger bills as home valuations skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Harte says the sales tax increase allows the county council to bypass any potential increase in property taxes to cover a $4 million funding gap for emergency services.
The county expects the sales tax increase, which would be in place for 10 years, to generate around $15 million in new revenue.
“If you wanted to generate $15 million through property tax, you’d have to increase your general fund by 94%, so you’d have a 94% property tax increase,” Harte said. “Of course the county council would never do that.”
More information about the proposed sales tax increase can be found here.
