Along with the high cost of housing, the average cost of a building lot has soared to nearly $100,000, according to the Washington County Board of Realtors.

"We've already started talking to the different cities, economic development groups, and even contractors, to try and figure out what we can do about this problem," said Bills of the lack of affordable housing in the area. "How do you hire police officers, firemen, and even construction workers if they can't afford a place to live?"

Finding enough water to satisfy all those folks is another top priority, and that's going to take even more money, according to the Washington County Water Conservancy District, which is also proposing an increase in its property tax revenue.

After factoring in new growth, the water district expects to gain a little more than $1.9 million in revenue this year by increasing its portion of the county property tax by 29.87 percent.

The new funds are needed to pay for flood damage, to drill new wells and to begin a pipeline project that would supply the Quail Creek/Sand Hollow reservoir. Some of that new money would also be used to develop a fund for the Lake Powell Pipeline Project, which, district officials said, is needed to support the county's anticipated growth beyond the year 2020.

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E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com