On Tuesday, August 6, the Ogden City Council voted to adopt the City’s annual budget for Fiscal Year 2025. This year’s budget included several opportunities for public input and was a product of collaborative effort between Council members, administration, department directors, and city staff.
A primary focus of this year’s budget is on providing city employees job market comparable wages. The FY2025 Budget includes the full implementation of a compensation study completed by an outside consultant this past year, including new salary ranges and titles to attract and retain quality employees.
“One of the underlying themes that we heard from department directors was that we have a heavy workload and face the challenge of burnout,” Council Chair Ken Richey said. “We expect the changes made to salaries and title changes along with the additional 16 positions will alleviate that.”
Employees below market range will be brought to the minimum in their new salary range and may receive an additional merit increase up to a total of 4%. Employees whose current salaries fall within their new range are eligible for a 4% increase. Implementing the study’s recommendations was partially funded by a salary carryforward of $900,000 from the previous fiscal year.
The proposed budget originally included a 1% tax increase to provide mental health resources for public safety employees. It was also proposed to transfer $1.8 million from BDO Lease Revenue to the General Fund to offset growing costs of operations, materials, and supplies resulting from inflationary pressures.
Council members recognized the budgetary needs but expressed concern with a change in policy to use BDO funds for ongoing expenses rather than one-time expenses. The Council and administration collaborated to address these concerns differently. The result was a decision to maintain last year’s Certified Property Tax Rate, which will generate approximately $1 million in additional property tax revenue for the city. Maintaining the 2023 rate resulted in a 5.36% property tax increase or about a $26 increase on the average residential property tax bill.
“The budget process was rigorous,” Chair Richey added. “It’s not a comfortable conversation to have, but I believe we’ve developed a good budget, and it took all hands on deck to get there.”
The fee structure for utilities was also updated to adjust for inflation and help fund the much-needed $100 million Canyon Waterline Project.
Council members, acting as Redevelopment Agency (RDA) board members and Municipal Building Authority (MBA) trustees, adopted the Fiscal Year 2025 RDA Budget and Fiscal Year 2025 MBA Budget on June 11, 2024. The City’s fiscal year begins July 1 and ends on June 30.
Additional Information:
For additional information, please contact Ogden City Council Executive Director Janene Eller-Smith, JaneneEller-Smith@ogdencity.com; 801-629-8153.