A dispute over property taxes in Heber City, Utah, escalated after a nurse raising five children pushed back against officials who framed the proposed increase as roughly the price of a burrito meal.
What's happening?
According to The Park Record, Heber City resident Keaton Hansen said he checks his bank balance before grocery runs. Hansen, who works as a nurse at Intermountain Health Heber Valley Hospital and also has two side gigs, told city leaders he is raising five children ages 2 to 12 and cannot afford daycare.
During a public hearing, Heber City Finance Director Sara Nagel said the proposed 4.8% property tax increase would add $16.83 for a home assessed at $850,000. Hansen objected to the burrito-meal comparison, telling officials: "I'm not getting $16 burritos. I'm getting PB&Js."
The proposed increase would add about $174,000 to the city's general fund for fiscal year 2027, which began July 1. Nagel said the money would help Heber City keep up with inflation and maintain current services, including administration, public safety, planning, and general operations.
Residents at the hearing argued instead that the city should cut spending. Some raised concerns about downtown projects and a planned trip to Folsom, California, that would involve City Manager Matt Brower and several council members.
Why does it matter?
The clash reflects a broader affordability crisis squeezing families from multiple directions, including housing, food, child care, transportation, and taxes.
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According to The Park Record, Hansen told the council: "It really is that dramatic. … We're dying out there."
Wasatch County Republican Party Vice Chair Patty Sprunt also cited a financially struggling resident who described his taxes as "death by a thousand cuts."
Officials said rising costs require more revenue to preserve services, while residents question why public budgets keep growing as families are asked to shoulder more of the burden.
What's being done?
City officials said the proposal is meant to avoid a much steeper tax increase later. Nagel said some municipalities are opting for smaller, more frequent increases rather than waiting for financial strain to force more dramatic action. Former Heber City Councilor Scott Phillips supported that approach.
He said, per The Park Record: "These nominal increases are important so that we don't have to have a 50%, 60%, 70% increase in one year."
At the same time, some city leaders are signaling that spending cuts should come first. Mayor Heidi Franco argued that the city should look harder at reductions before asking residents to pay more.
"We can defer some vehicle purchases to more than make up this deficit," she said.
Nagel also said the general fund is not directly financing some of the higher-profile downtown projects that angered residents, including the Main Street Park redesign. She said those efforts rely on other funding streams, though they still require staff time.
The City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed increase Tuesday.
"You don't need extravagance. We don't need luxury. Let's get back to basics," Hansen said.
City Councilor Yvonne Barney echoed that concern.
She said: "It is hard, and we need to recognize that just nickels and dimes really do affect the budget."
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