Town of Harrisburg presents preliminary balanced FY2027 budget, holds tax rate at 41¢ and proposes 5% water and sewer increase

Town of Harrisburg staff on Thursday presented Draft 2 of the fiscal year 2027 manager-recommended budget as a preliminary, balanced plan that does not require a property tax-rate increase at this stage and which includes a 5% increase to water and sewer rates.

Ron (staff member) opened the workshop by describing the presentation as the revenues-and-fees review of the draft budget and said the plan in the packet is "balanced. It requires no tax increases." Brian (staff member), who led the revenue briefing, said the towns revenue mix remains concentrated in property taxes (about 60%), utility revenues (roughly one-third) and a small share of other fees.

Why it matters: staff framed the package as a financially conservative plan that relies on valuation-driven growth rather than a higher tax rate. Brian told the council that natural growth in 2026 valuation moved property-tax receipts from about $19.9 million to $20.8 million (roughly a $900,000 increase) without changing the 41¢ rate.

Water and sewer rate change: the budget includes a 5% increase in water and sewer charges to respond to higher input costs. Brian said much of the water and sewer funds costs are purchased water and sewer treatment (from Concord and Wasatch), which have their own price increases; staff showed an example in-town residential 4,000-gallon monthly bill moving from $60.35 to $63.20 (roughly a 4.7% change). Staff said the stormwater fee and the $10 solid-waste fee would remain unchanged.

Fees and enforcement: the draft includes several modest fee adjustments and new enforcement charges. Staff recommended raising the credit-card convenience fee from about $2.50 to $3 to recover costs, adding a $10 reflective-address sign sale, incremental fire-inspection fee increases, and several new stormwater inspection and enforcement fees (failure to submit annual reports, working without a permit, violating stop-work orders). An expanded illicit-discharge penalty schedule was also presented.

Capital priorities and reserves: presenters stressed that the towns active investment strategy and previously accumulated reserves provide funding flexibility. Brian said investment earnings have grown substantially in recent years (about $3 million a year in interest income in recent periods) and that interest income is routed to the capital reserve fund for future projects. Staff highlighted planned near-term capital work including design for Highway 49/Roberta Road mitigation (about $1.2 million), more greenway and sidewalk connectivity (roughly $1 million), and replacement of self-contained breathing apparatus for the fire department (nearly $500,000).

Budget process and council exercise: staff explained an electronic council exercise due to go out to members that will let each councilor test tax-rate, fee and capital options and return preferred configurations; results will inform the managers recommended budget, which staff will present May 11 followed by public comment and a planned June 8 adoption.

Public questions: during the public-comment period, resident Wally Wallace asked how the water and sewer increase would be communicated and where various capital and transfer totals appeared in the model. Staff said the rate change would be reflected in customers July bills (with an estimated $3.20 monthly increase for the example bill) and that planned capital draws explain why the capital reserve balance declines in later model years (transfers into savings and subsequent transfers out to fund multi-year capital projects).

Whats next: staff will issue the council exercise, return with workshop results April 30, present the final recommended budget on May 11 for public comment, and seek formal adoption at the June 8 council meeting. The workshop did not include any formal votes or ordinance readings.

Quotes used in this article are attributed to speakers who spoke on the record during the workshop and are drawn directly from the meeting presentation and public comment.