Salt Lake County Council approves tax increases

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Salt Lake County Council has approved its first property tax increases since 2001, saying it has already trimmed fat from the budget.

Council members voted 7-2 Friday in favor of a $785 million budget that will raise countywide taxes by 16.2 percent and library taxes by 22.4 percent.

The action will mean an overall tax increase of $77 annually for the owner of a $238,000 home, the county's median value. The increase will appear on tax bills sent out next November.

Councilman Arlyn Bradshaw notes the county has sliced $45.6 million from the budget since 2009 and eliminated 232 full-time positions.

Three Republican council members joined four Democrats in approving the budget. Richard Snelgrove and David Wilde were the lone dissenters.

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