July 2026 | Vol. 20 Iss. 7
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Mayor and city council propose property tax increase
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By Mimi Darley Dutton | m.dutton@mycityjournals.com Citing rising costs, the city is proposing a 25% property tax increase for which the average home would pay an additional $8 monthly.
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All city parks and play equipment have to be properly maintained or updated in order to limit liability risks. The Unity Playground equipment at Draper Park has a special rubber mat underneath that must be replaced every two years. (Courtesy Draper City)
he city of Draper has proposed a property tax increase, the second in 18 years. In 2024, the city increased taxes 20% to fund public safety, specifically fire and police. This proposed 25% increase would add roughly $2.7 million to the city’s budget. Aug. 12 has been set as the Truth and Taxation Hearing for Draper City. “Everything has gone up. We’ve had many years where we’ve not needed to take more money from you as a citizen, but now we’re in a whole different world,” Mayor Troy Walker said. For the median Draper home valued at $807,000, the increase would add about $8 monthly or $104 annually. The average business would pay approximately $19.50 more monthly. The mayor projects he’ll personally pay an additional $16 per month. “I don’t like to pay taxes more than anyone else,
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but Draper is the single best place I’ve ever lived,” Walker said. The mayor explained how the city finances its budget. “To balance the budget, we have a fund balance. We’ve always had a healthy fund balance, and last year we drew a couple million from it to balance the city’s general budget. We’re a blended budget, we take all our revenues and put it in one pot and try to pay all the bills. It’s a mix of sales tax revenue and property tax. We’ve been fortunate where we’ve always had a big sales tax collection and we’ve been able to cover everything. Sales tax has primarily leveled off simply because we’re running out of retail space in Draper proper,” he said. The city would have the same budget Continued on page 6
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