Budget

People everywhere have noticed the rising cost of living from housing to groceries. Roy City as a municipality is not an exception to rising costs. Eggs are more expensive, and so is public safety. It is a basic budgeting principle that one cannot spend more money than is coming in. The amount of revenue that Roy City currently has for budgeting is not sustainable; we must increase our revenue somehow or cut our services. In order to maintain a balanced budget, an additional $750,000 is needed for FY 2026, $250,000 more from FY 2025.

If we choose to spend the rising cost of city services instead of cut them, then we must fund them somehow. That means revenue. The only form of revenue that the City Council can guarantee is a property tax. Increased sales tax from more businesses can help, but that is variable. A property tax will likely always be in the formula, but I believe a more incremental approach to raising the property tax is a wise approach. I am committed to keeping our critical services, such as public service and public works, funded with creativity in generating more income to roll into the city budget. Redistribution of funds is ideal rather than fully cutting programs. There are many ways to provide public safety, and our current process can be adjusted to save money.

In the end, we must decide together what we are willing to pay for and what we are not.