Richfield opens Truth in Taxation hearing after staff proposes $500,000 property‑tax increase

Richfield City held a public hearing June 9 on its tentative FY2026/27 budget after staff proposed raising property‑tax revenue by $500,000.

Financial Director Jenson told the council the city’s current certified property‑tax rate is 0.001821, which produces $1,028,648 in revenue. Under the proposal, that revenue would rise to $1,528,648 — an increase of $500,000, or roughly 48.6 percent of the city’s current property‑tax revenue. Jenson said rising costs for fuel, parts, supplies and employee insurance, as well as higher dispatch costs for public‑safety communications, have strained the city’s ability to maintain infrastructure and services without additional revenue.

“Dispatch services have grown in cost from about $65,000 a year to over $130,000 a year,” Police Chief Lloyd said during the discussion, noting regional increases in shared services. Mayor Bryan L. Burrows said Richfield has maintained a conservative budget but warned that deferred maintenance can lead to substantially higher costs in the future.

Councilmember Kip Hansen said the proposed increase preserves core services and protects quality‑of‑life programs, while noting recreation funding is a relatively small share of the overall budget. A resident, Michael Snow, commented that some cost drivers stem from state legislation.

The public hearing opened at 8:00 p.m. and closed at 8:16 p.m.; a Truth in Taxation property‑tax increase hearing is scheduled for Aug. 11, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. The council did not take a final vote on the tax rate at the June 9 meeting. The tentative budget presentation included a breakdown of how the additional revenue would be distributed across city departments and noted some utility and grant match obligations.