With inflation near a 40-year high and a possible economic recession looming, members of the St. George City Council decided Thursday to reject a proposed property tax hike to bolster public safety.
“Asking residents and business owners to pay higher taxes when food and gas prices are going through the roof and so many of us are living on fixed incomes is just wrong,” she said. “So I’m pleased that the council decided to do the right thing, even if it took them a long time to get there.” If adopted, the proposed property tax hike would have cost the owner of an average $566,000 home about $5 a month, or $60 per year. The increase on a $566,000 business in St. George would cost about $8.75 a month, or $105 a year.
“Our growth has stretched resources to the point where we’ve had to make some adjustments,” said St. George Police Chief Kyle Whitehead. “We’ve had many councils before us that have kicked this can [down the road] for a very long time, and we can continue to kick that can,” she said. “But in two or three years, your property taxes would be a whole lot more by continuing to kick the can.”