CENTERVILLE—Concerned Davis County residents packed the Centerville Library last week for an open house on the proposed property tax increase of just under 15% by the county. County officials were there to talk to the public and answer questions about why the tax is necessary to keep the county running.

Representatives from the Davis County Sheriff's Office, County Attorney’s Office, Commission, Davis County Controller’s Office and other administrators had charts and other material to explain how the tax would be used.

“We have a lack of staff,” said Davis County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy, Taylor West. “We have 21 positions that were not filled to maintain the budget. It’s not frivolous at all.” 

Residents pack the library to get their questions answered. Photo by Becky Ginos

 Staffing has gone down from 370 to 320, he said. “Crime has maintained and has even risen and inflation, growth are problems we’ve always had. We want to give a high level of service but be fiscally responsible.”

There has to be revenue somehow, said Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings. “It’s either got to be a tax increase or spending down the rainy day funds. Our office is prepared to address it  any way it goes.”

Rawlings said his office is understaffed. “The good news is our prosecutors want to stay. Our average attorney has been here for 19 years. In Salt Lake County it’s 12 years, Utah County it’s 14 years and Weber is 14.25 years.”

What that means is that prosecutors can handle a large case load, said Rawlings. “We handle 3,253 cases in an average year. That’s 14.2 cases a day addressing hundreds of thousands of reports, video reviews and interviews.”

That’s an astronomical case load, he said. “We have to make decisions quickly. These attorneys have a lot of experience, that’s how we’re surviving now. We meet our deadlines and they’re willing to do it but that’s the reality of our situation.”

They come early and stay late, he said. “They work seven days a week and on the weekends. They put in about 12 hours per weekend. With less staff we couldn’t keep up with the case load and we have an obligation to public safety.”

Some residents who were at the open house were frustrated with the proposed increase and other taxes in the county. “Why are they building a new building for the animal shelter?” said one man. “It’s not needed. They’re paying for a veterinarian. Why do they need to compete with private veterinarians? They could soak up some of that money.”

Commissioner Lorene (Kamalu) will vote for it, he said. “Bob (Stevenson) will say no and John Crofts will be the decider with a yes or a no.”

A 3% increase would be OK, he said. “Something reasonable would stop people from carrying torches and pitch forks. Fifteen percent is unreasonable. They need to tighten their belts.”

They don’t know what they’re doing, said another resident. “They’ve failed at their job and they ought to resign. This is just ridiculous.”

The commissioners went to Europe for training, he said. “How is that benefitting you? They have no strategic plan – it’s a disaster.”

There is one open house left on Nov. 18 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Syracuse Library, 1875 S. 2000 West. A Truth in Taxation meeting will be held Dec. 2. For more information about the proposed tax increase visit https://www.daviscountyutah.gov/truth-in-taxation#events.