What Kind of City Do We Want?

October 10, 2025
What Kind of City Do We Want?
PDF 📄

Your ballot for November’s election is asking whether to keep or repeal Ivins’ first property-tax increase in 15 years. No one enjoys paying more in taxes. But the real question isn’t simply, “Do I want a tax increase?” The real question is, “What kind of city do we want Ivins to be?”

I personally believe that the City Council approved this increase because it is the most responsible way to carry out the priorities identified in the General Plan, ensure Ivins can continue to provide the level and quality of services residents expect and rely on, and responsibly prepare for future needs, rather than leaving a future generation to pick up the tab for what we put off.

Update (10/16/25): Today, the City determined that the referendum is insufficient because the required number of verified signatures was not met in enough voter participation areas. Despite this finding, Proposition 14 will still appear on the pre-printed ballots for Ivins residents in the upcoming election. However, the City encourages all voters to complete their ballots on this issue should the referendum outcome be later reconsidered. (download press release)

The Numbers Behind the Noise

You’ve probably heard this is an unconscionable 33.9% tax hike! Outrageous, right? What you don’t hear advocates for repealing the tax increase say, is that percentage applies only to the Ivins portion of your bill, not your total property tax. On a full bill, the increase is 4.4%. After 15 years without an adjustment, that’s hardly extreme.

What disappoints me is this (and other) deliberate omissions and distortions. When advocates leave out details that every homeowner deserves, that isn’t “telling it like it is.”

Why Not Wait?

Some say, “Just dip into reserves until Black Desert Resort revenue rolls in.” We can’t. The resort’s major retail and restaurant taxes are still years away. Using reserves is too risky. That’s our rainy-day fund to help us through the next recession or something bad that we’re not even aware of yet. Plus, the Government Finance Officers Association already flags our reserves as below target for a city our size.

The Cost of Standing Still

The proposed increase adds about $10 a month for the average homeowner but helps close a structural deficit that’s been growing for years. We plugged the gap with one-time money: $1.35 million in federal COVID aid and $650,000 in bond interest we can no longer keep under new state law. Those funds are gone.

The Utah Taxpayers Association says about 60 cities in Utah pass a property tax increase every year. They recommend cities go through the Truth-in-Taxation process every few years “to account for inflation and demographic changes.”

The Real Choice

A vote to keep the tax increase is a vote to preserve the Ivins we love, safe, clean, and well-run. No one enjoys paying more in taxes. But pretending we can maintain today’s services on yesterday’s dollars isn’t realism, it’s wishful thinking.

This isn’t about $10 a month; it’s about what kind of city we want tomorrow; both the tomorrow we’ll wake up to next year and the tomorrow we’ll build over the next decade. One choice protects what makes Ivins special; the other slowly lets it slip away.

Looking For More Information?

I’ve posted a lot of detailed information about the need for a property tax increase in past articles.

Sign up for monthly email updates (click here)
Never more than 12 emails a year and you can unsubscribe any time

Let me know about Ivins issues that are important to you.
Please email me with your concerns, ideas, suggestions, and recommendations.

Recent “Finance” Articles