BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner
The Ogden Municipal Building is pictured on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020.
OGDEN — Ogden’s proposed fiscal year 2023 spending plan calls for pay hikes for city workers, including the mayor and City Council, necessitating a $2.8 million boost in property taxes to cover the extra costs.
And though the budget still faces final approval — and scrutiny at a public hearing — it received a preliminary vote of support from the City Council at the body’s June 7 meeting. Moreover, in a proposed budget message to be discussed at a work session on Tuesday, Ben Nadolski, the City Council chairperson, makes the case for the tax hike, arguing that boosting workers’ pay makes for higher-quality employees.
“To fund this increase for employees, we needed to do something that we hadn’t done since 2018 — increase taxes,” Nadolski writes in the draft message. “However, this necessary measure means that when Ogden residents need help from public services, public safety or any other department, they’ll be met with Ogden city employees who are the best at what they do and will be able to exceed the expected level of service.”
Mayor Mike Caldwell made the case for the 2023 budget plan at a May 3 City Council meeting, when it was publicly unveiled. The budget is “all about our staff,” he said at the time, echoing the draft thoughts put forward by Nadolski.
Still, though the sentiment among elected officials for the proposal, which calls for overall spending of $267.2 million, seems strong, it still has to be formally accepted. If the proposed $2.8 million tax hike stays in, the official vote will be Aug. 2 to allow for the truth-in-taxation hearing, as required by state law. But if officials decided to pull the increase, the final vote would tentatively come on June 21.
With the tax hike, firefighters would see a 14% hike and police, who have already received notable pay hikes, would get an 8% pay boost. Other employees, including elected officials, would receive pay hikes of 13%. Ogden employs around 650 full-time workers.
The push to boost wages of firefighters and police has been particularly strong to prevent turnover. But officials have also put a focus on bolstering pay of the mayor and City Council, focus of a study by Evergreen Solutions, a consultant to the city. They argue that higher pay will encourage the best candidates for office to come forward.
Last April, leaders boosted the mayor’s annual salary from $133,765.59 to $136,440.90. If the 13% boost is approved for fiscal year 2023, that would rise to $154,178.22.
The base pay for City Council members, considered part-time workers, would go from $22,950 to $25,933.50 under the 2023 budget plan. The council chairperson’s pay would go from $25,704 to $29,045.52, while the council vice chairperson’s pay would go from $24,327 to $27,489.51.
Under the proposed budget, property tax revenue would rise from $16.4 million to $19.88 million, which includes a $2.8 million tax hike and extra revenue brought on by new development. Sales tax revenue would also go up, from $21.57 million to $25.87 million.
Comments from the public may be submitted at work sessions and hearings. They may also be submitted via phone at 801-629-8158, by email to [email protected] or via a city submission form at ogdencity.com/publicinput. The public may also directly call City Council members, according to city budget paperwork.
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