Salt Lake County Reduces Police Fees

06.17.2010 by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News)  Residents and businesses in Salt Lake County’s unincorporated areas will be charged less for Unified Police Department services this year than they expected.  The Salt Lake County Council approved the discount this week after sales tax revenue came in above projected levels.  However, the roughly four-percent discount takes just $6.75 a year off the $174 fee for homeowners.

“It’s true, people will look at it, maybe, and say it’s not very much.  But it is a commitment that we have and that we stuck with,” says Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jani Iwamoto.  “And even though some people may scoff and say it’s not that much, it’s an amount we can do right now, we’ll keep revisiting it, but it shows that we’ve kept our promise.”

Iwamoto made the proposal to use $500,000 of sales tax revenue to lighten the burden on residents, business owners, churches and hospitals.  She says those who have already paid the fee will be credited the amount next year.

The county is expecting to receive $1 million dollars more in sales tax revenue than anticipated.  Iwamoto says the council wanted to discount the UPD fee even more, but decided to hold onto some of the unexpected revenue, just in case.

“We felt this is the most fiscally responsible way, because the sales tax revenue are just now projections.  And it fluctuates.  And so we’re not sure and we don’t want to go back, risking not having the money to protect our fund balances, our triple A rating.  And sales tax revenue, it’s just projections right now,” says Iwamoto.

Businesses are charged more for UPD service than homeowners. And the biggest bill went to Kennecott Utah Copper for $1.3 million.  That has now been discounted about $50,000.  Spokeswoman Jana Kettering says the discount is a move in the right direction.