Orem council approves $450,000 property-tax increase, creates public-safety fund

The Orem City Council voted 5-2 on Aug. 27 to approve an ordinance raising ongoing property-tax revenues by $450,000 a year and to dedicate the general-operations portion of the city's property-tax levy to a newly created Public Safety Special Revenue Fund.

Mayor (speaker 1) opened the Truth-in-Taxation hearing after staff presentations explaining that the increase would raise projected property-tax revenue by roughly 7.01% and is intended to pay for two additional sworn police officers, their vehicles and equipment. Chief BJ Robinson, Orem's police chief, told the council that the request was not driven by rising call volume but by the growing complexity of incidents and staffing volatility: "Adding 2 additional officers would increase our ability to handle these more intensive cases." (Chief BJ Robinson, speaker 11).

Council deliberations focused on competing priorities: several members emphasized the volatility of sales-tax revenue and the advantage of establishing a more stable funding stream for core services. City CFO Brandon Nelson described the Public Safety Special Revenue Fund as an accounting mechanism required by state law for dedicated property-tax revenue and said Utah County had placed the fund line on tax notices after the city indicated intent to dedicate those dollars. After discussion, Council member Meacom moved to adopt the budget and levy; Council member Kilpach seconded and the ordinance passed 5-2.

The ordinance adopts the FY2026-27 final budget, a fees-and-charges schedule and the tax rate change. The council did not specify a separate effective date beyond the adoption for the 2026-27 fiscal year; staff said they will reconcile fund transfers quarterly and report back in year-end financials. The council and staff also emphasized that relief programs and state/county tax-abatement options exist for residents on fixed incomes who may be disproportionately affected.