Salt Lake County Council enables Unified Police Department fee decrease

SALT LAKE CITY — It's only the cost of a burger, fries and shake, but to the Salt Lake County Council, the action itself is worth much more.

The council Tuesday shifted $500,000 in funds in order to enable a decrease of Unified Police Department fees. This means approximately $6.75 less for homeowners in unincorporated areas of Salt Lake County, including the townships of Millcreek, Kearns and Magna. The decrease also affects businesses in those areas.

Council members say they are making good on a promise to the public that if funding became available, the UPD fee would be lowered.

"It's particularly important during these difficult economic times," said Councilwoman Jani Iwamoto, who made the motion.

County auditors estimated sales tax revenue would be down 3 percent to 5 percent, but it has ended up being flat. The revenue was $41.3 million in 2009, while it is now $41.4 million.

On an average home, the fee would be approximately $174 in annual UPD fees. If residents have paid in full, they will get a credit on their 2011 UPD fee bill.

The transfer of the $500,000 from the county's municipal services fund will proportionally reduce the UPD fee.

Iwamoto said she made the motion because the county had projected for the worst and already made the difficult cuts.

"I authored this motion as a way of keeping our commitment to our unincorporated residents," she said.

The fee reduction amounts to 3.8 percent. The fee was established to fund a $13 million shortfall in sales taxes during the recession.

"Public safety is a top priority," said Mayor Peter Corroon. "I think it's important to recognize that we are standing by our commitment to use the fee as a temporary measure to fund public safety."

The recession triggered a 30 percent plunge in sales tax revenue, and the county's municipal services fund was left with a devastating shortfall. Salt Lake County needed $13 million in additional revenue to compensate for this deficit.

The municipal services fund also pays for road repairs, snow removal and other services that are typically provided by cities. The county took a number of steps besides the fee to balance its municipal services fund budget, including cutting non-police budgets by an average of 26 percent and reducing the law enforcement budget by 7 percent.

Without a fee, Salt Lake County would have had to eliminate 60 percent of the UPD officers dedicated to the unincorporated areas. That was a decision the county was unwilling to make.

According to county officials, the mayor and council have committed to continue to evaluate sales tax revenue and determine if the fee can be lowered or eliminated.

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