Salt Lake County reimburses Cottonwood Heights

The Salt Lake County Council gave Cottonwood Heights $2.5 million Tuesday.

The money is about half of what the city is seeking as a reimbursement for prepaid services the county provides to unincorporated Salt Lake County. When Cottonwood Heights incorporated in January, the residents had contributed to a $22 million surplus in the county's municipal services fund. The city wants around $5.6 million from the county for what its residents have already paid for police, garbage, snow removal and animal control services.

"I think it's a fair compromise," said Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore. "I think it allows the county to recognize Cottonwood Heights' request in a way that meets their needs and ours."

The city could use the money to purchase service contracts from the county, or it could use the money on a project-by-project basis for a senior center, urban trails, museums or Bonneville Shoreline trail improvements, said Liane Stillman, city manager. The use will be decided after the county reimburses an additional $576,000 and grants Cottonwood Heights a $2.5 million, five-year loan with minimal interest. Those increments will be awarded at a future date, Stillman said.

Cottonwood Heights wants to buy Mountview and Cottonwood Heights elementary schools from Jordan School District and dedicate the buildings and land for public use, Stillman said. The schools closed this year from low enrollment and high repair costs.

"We're hoping to buy two of the two closed schools," Stillman said. "This is extremely important public land."

As other cities have incorporated — Taylorsville, Holladay, Herriman — the county has given grants to the fledgling municipalities to offset elections costs and to bridge gaps between property tax collections. Those grants are a friendly send-off to the cities, even though incorporation takes commercial and residential tax bases from county coffers, said Randy Horiuchi, a county council member.

"We're using our money for them to get started, and when they get started, they pay us back," Horiuchi said. "Yeah, they decided to make the separation, but the point is that you want to send them off. We've been their custodians for many years."

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