Salt Lake County - February 9, 4:08 PM - Over the past several weeks, residents across Salt Lake County have engaged in an unprecedented level of civic engagement through the AX THE TAX effort. Volunteers organized across neighborhoods, hosted signing locations, braved difficult winter conditions, and devoted personal time and resources to ensure that concerns about the proposed property tax increase were heard.

That engagement was driven by a shared belief: that a significant tax increase should not proceed without a thorough, transparent review of the County’s budget and serious consideration of structural alternatives.

As part of this effort, AX THE TAX volunteers met directly with County officials to present concerns, share research, and discuss potential paths forward. Those discussions confirmed what many residents already believed — that there are real opportunities to reduce costs and improve efficiency without raising the tax burden on County residents.

Since the launch of AX THE TAX, additional information has emerged, further underscoring the need for budget reform. Recent County and independent research show that thousands of older adults in Salt Lake County struggle to afford basic necessities, including groceries. At the same time, the County continues to face long-term affordability challenges that require careful prioritization of limited public resources, particularly for residents on fixed incomes.

In parallel, the private sector is rapidly adapting to new economic and technological realities. Major employers are reducing their workforces and administrative layers in response to efficiency gains. These developments underscore the need to examine whether government staffing structures — especially at the administrative and executive levels — are aligned with modern efficiency and public need.

There are also clear, structural opportunities to reduce County costs rather than managing them year after year. Landowners in Big Cottonwood Canyon have indicated their intent to pursue annexation of the remaining unincorporated portions of the canyon into the Town of Brighton. Because Brighton contracts with Unified Police for law enforcement services, annexation would reduce the County Sheriff’s service footprint, eliminate duplicative services, and remove the County’s responsibility for canyon land-use planning — a cost driver cited during budget discussions. Annexation would also improve coordination for forest management and science-based wildfire mitigation in a high-risk wildland–urban interface area.

AX THE TAX volunteers have consistently emphasized that their goal has never been a showy protest for its own sake. Their goal has been to secure a seat at the table with elected officials and to engage in open, transparent, and meaningful budget review and cuts. As one volunteer recently said, “This is the first time in my life where I have actually felt that my efforts and my voice have mattered in politics and policy.”

As the statutory deadline arrived, the campaign determined it did not have sufficient verified signatures to qualify for the ballot and immediately transitioned to direct budget reform work.

Accordingly, AX THE TAX volunteers have decided not to submit the remaining signature packets to the County Clerk. As a result, the Clerk’s Office will not be required to undertake the time- and resource-intensive process of signature counting and verification.

Instead, AX THE TAX are transitioning immediately to the next phase of this work: direct budget analysis, public engagement, and recommendations in advance of the County’s built-in June budget review and adjustment process.

Initial areas of focus will include:

• eliminating duplicate services, including within the Office of Regional Development;
• aligning service delivery with municipal and regional partners to reduce overlap;
• reducing and improving efficiency in the Sheriff’s service footprint through annexation and appropriate contracting models;
• streamlining administrative and executive structures where appropriate; and
• preserving critical resident-facing services, such as childcare, through more efficient delivery models.

We also want to express our thanks to the thousands of residents who made this effort possible — including volunteers who opened their homes as signing locations, those who braved winter conditions to collect signatures, volunteers who paid out of pocket for materials, the Mountain America Expo Center and local businesses that hosted signing events, and the many thousands of residents across Salt Lake County who signed the petition. This effort was powered entirely by community members choosing to engage.

Although communities across Utah have expressed interest in this model of civic engagement, AX THE TAX remains focused on Salt Lake County at this time. The priority now is to complete the work this effort began — directly with elected officials, County staff, and the public — within the County’s established budget timeline.

This effort is about holding our elected officials accountable, responding constructively to accurate information, honoring meaningful public engagement, and fulfilling our shared obligation to serve the residents of Salt Lake County — especially those least able to absorb higher taxes.

Media Contact: Goud P. Maragani - 385 237-7960 goud.p.maragani@proton.me