Draper proposes 25% property-tax-rate increase for 2026-27

Draper Mayor Walker has proposed raising the city’s property-tax rate by 25% for fiscal 2026-27, a change that could increase local property-tax bills if it receives final approval.

The proposal was announced July 10. A Truth in Taxation public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 12, 2026, at 6 p.m. at Draper City Hall, 1020 E. Pioneer Road. The hearing date remains subject to final approval by the Salt Lake and Utah County auditors, and the tax-rate proposal had not been approved as final in the city’s notice.

What the proposed budget includes

Draper’s proposed General Fund budget for fiscal 2026-27 totals $54,133,400. The plan also includes a $3,295,700 appropriation from General Fund balance.

The proposed spending plan includes a 5% salary adjustment and four additional public-safety positions. The tax proposal is part of a multiyear plan to stabilize public-safety funding, according to the approved city materials.

Those figures describe a proposed budget and proposed tax-rate change, not a final increase for residents. The packet does not provide enough assessed-value or levy information to calculate what the proposal would mean for an individual homeowner’s bill.

Hearing is the next public step

The Aug. 12 hearing will give Draper residents a scheduled opportunity to address the proposed rate before the city moves toward final action. The hearing is required under the city’s Truth in Taxation process, but the date itself still depends on approval by the two county auditors.

For residents tracking the proposal, the key distinction is between the announced 25% rate increase and the final tax rate adopted after the hearing and approval process. The city’s budget documents identify the hearing date and the proposed financial plan, while the July 10 city notice identifies Mayor Walker as the official proposing the increase.

Garbage service change also starts in August

Draper is also preparing for a separate change affecting household service. The city approved moving garbage and recycling collection to ACE Recycling and Disposal effective Aug. 17, 2026.

The Draper Herald reported that the City Council voted July 7 to transfer the service to the private hauler and that garbage and recycling pickup would rise by $4 per month beginning Aug. 17. That service change is approved and scheduled, unlike the property-tax-rate proposal, which remains subject to the public hearing and final approval process.

Together, the proposed tax-rate increase and the scheduled garbage-service change put two different city costs before Draper households in August. The tax proposal is tied to the city’s fiscal 2026-27 budget and public-safety staffing plan; the garbage change concerns the contractor and monthly collection charge.

The immediate deadline for the tax issue is the scheduled Truth in Taxation hearing at Draper City Hall on Aug. 12 at 6 p.m., provided the Salt Lake and Utah County auditors grant final approval for the hearing date.