That did little to dissuade residents from lining up and taking to the microphone one by one during the public comment period – which ended up taking up nearly 90 minutes – to speak out against what has been proposed by the administration of a maximum tax rate of 55.45%.

Ultimately, the City Council voted in support of a resolution to adopt the tentative budget (which is the administration’s proposed budget) and property tax impact schedule for Roy City for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.

Only Council member Bryon Saxton voted against it.

The other four members of Roy’s City Council are Diane Wilson, Janel Hulbert, Alexis Jackson and Jason Sphar.

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The resolution also approves public hearings to receive public comment before the interim budget and final budget are adopted.

The proposed property tax increase will go through the truth in taxation process.

The interim budget will be adopted June 16 with the maximum proposed tax rate and the final budget will be adopted Aug. 11.

A warning came near the end of the public comment period from one resident, who said he’s a conservative, and so he’s an elephant, and come election time, elephants don’t forget.

Roy resident Ty Chaston lamented the lack of impact the residents seemingly have.

Ryan Comer, Standard-Examiner

“A lot of the people I talked to say, ‘Here we come out, we tell them how we would like it to be and they’ve already decided.’ There’s no point in coming to these meetings when they’ve already decided,” he said.

The chamber was standing-room only, with residents on their feet lining the back wall.

So filled was the chamber that Jackson invited residents to sit in the jury box.

Jim Panagoplos, 64, lamented the salaries of many of the city employees in his comments during the public comment period.

“I’ve been in business before and I’m a pastor in a church,” he said. “Sometimes, things have to be cut and things have to be changed. I’m proposing temporarily that for the top ones, except for our first responders, let’s do a 10% reduction in pay temporarily until this mess gets fixed, because the budget shortfalls are not the residents’ fault, but we’re being blamed for it and all the burden is put on us.

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“So I think everybody, even the employees of the city of Roy, if we love Roy so much, let’s all share in this. It’s about equal sacrifice, and I think if we do this, then we can see some headwinds. … And I’m sorry if I offend somebody, but tough. We’re getting offended because of the tax increase that’s going to be on our backs to cover a mess that happened years ago that we’re not recovering from.”

Marlaine Scott, 57, called the proposed tax rate “insane” and also highlighted city employee salaries.

“I have never been against the fire and police getting the pay they deserve to keep our community a safe place,” she said. “I have needed them and I’m very thankful. They have been there. I have needed EMS three times and I’m so grateful. We need our police. They need to be paid. But I think you all need to cut back and conserve. I am on a fixed income. I don’t make a lot of money. Where is it going to come from?”

Jerry Williams, 66, called the increase proposal “ridiculous” and said he couldn’t believe it would even be asked for.

“I think even asking for a 10% increase is ridiculous but 55%? I don’t even know what to say to you other than you should be ashamed of yourselves,” he said. “You should all be looking down with shame.”

Williams noted that it’s not just this particular tax increase proposal that’s a problem but the accumulation of all taxes and said tough cuts are sometimes necessary.

“I don’t want to see anybody lose their job. Believe me. I’ve been laid off. It’s not fun,” he said. “You know what? If we have to lay people off, if we have to cut programs, sometimes you have to dig deep, and sometimes it hurts. I know. I got laid off because of a budget cut. It hurt. It didn’t feel good. But you know what? The company stayed going because they got rid of me, and sometimes that’s just what has to happen.”

Among the possible cuts, according to one resident, was Roy Days and lights.

“Roy Days is a really cool thing that I’ve never attended in the 21 years that I’ve been in the community,” he said to laughter from the residents. “I mean, it’s way cool. The lights are way fun. We take our youth there. Every year. I think that’s cool. We could just as soon go right downtown to Ogden to one of the Christmas tree things that aren’t put on by the city. You know? There are lots of things that can be done.”

One of the more impassioned comments came from Carly Cheney, 30, a full-time respiratory therapist.

“I am telling you that this proposed tax increase will ruin my life,” she said. “I make a fair decent living, but I also work another job.”

Cheney continued:

“This proposed tax increase will raise my already stretched expenses $1,300. I work a job and a half and chase a 2-year-old that has to go to daycare. I don’t believe that it’s fair to myself or the people of my generation to have to pay another 50% increase on my already stretched, already couponed, already extremely penny-pinched budget.

“We don’t go to movies. I don’t take my daughter to Lagoon. I don’t take my daughter on vacation. Actually, the last vacation I had was three years ago.”

Cheney said the proposed increase would harm her age group just like it would harm those on fixed incomes.

“The goal of buying a house and having that American dream is fading and it is fading at an alarming rate,” she said. “You should be worried. You should be worried for the individuals in your life who are around my age – in their 20s and their 30s and even approaching their 40s who are looking at their day-to-day expenses and going ‘Holy crap. What is next?’ Because we don’t have emergency funds. Some of us don’t even have retirements because we are working so dang much to get just the day-to-day expenses to make sure that my daughter has diapers, she has wipes. … Please, please do not do this. It will cause more harm than you realize.”

At the end of the meeting, Ann Jackson thanked those in attendance and said it was great to hear from them. She offered to meet individually with people to answer questions.

“We have worked very hard on trying to do what’s best for this city,” she said. “I am, too, a senior citizen and I do want to retire one day and I don’t want my taxes to keep going up either because I’m a widow of 20 years and I have my own income and it worries me as much as it does all of you.

“I’m on Medicare. I have supplemental income also and these guys have worked a lot on trying to come up with solutions to try to keep our city running.”

She continued:

“We all pay the same taxes. I’ve lived in Roy since I was 4 and I have children that live in Roy and all play for Roy rec, go to the aquatic center. I think that’s what makes Roy such a wonderful community is all the amenities that we have. Lots of senior citizens use that complex. They say it saves their lives. They’ve … met friends there that they go and see daily. … I think that’s what makes Roy such a great city is everything that we have that makes us a great community. If you choose to take all those things away, I don’t know, I think it would be a sad situation.”

She said rec programs are great for children because they teach them about being on a team and, for some, a skill that they go on to use in college. She said they also teach about being a good sport and keep people outside, off the computer and off the cellphone.

“These are just my opinions,” she said.

The property tax increase came to light late last week following the release of the City Council agenda.

“The proposed budget includes a property tax increase of $2,807,745, or 55.45%,” wrote City Manager Matthew Andrews in the budget message included in the meeting packet for Tuesday’s City Council meeting. “Of this amount, $455,321 addresses the revenue shortfall associated with the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) implemented this year, $481,523 is allocated for a 2.8% COLA for the upcoming fiscal year, and $1,870,901 is designated for wage correction adjustments. These figures may vary depending on the scope and level of wage corrections ultimately implemented.

“This budget reflects the collaborative efforts of the City Manager, Department Directors, their teams, and the Mayor and City Council.”

The total General Fund budget for 2026-27, Andrews said, is $30,429,664 and is “balanced, with expected revenues aligned with anticipated expenditures.”

Employee retention is a “key area of emphasis,” according to Andrews.

“The proposal includes a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) and preserves employee merit increases,” Andrews said. “While these measures provide important support, many neighboring cities have implemented more aggressive wage adjustments, placing Roy City at a growing competitive disadvantage. This impact is being felt more significantly in certain departments. As we move into upcoming budget work sessions, we recommend dedicating time to a more in-depth discussion on employee compensation. As currently proposed, the budget does not fully address the needs identified in the City Council’s Strategic Plan in this area.”

The City Council approved a 28% tax increase in August 2025, but it was denied by the Utah State Tax Commission. The increase, according to the packet, “would have been allocated to employees in the form of a 2.5% COLA and wage increases for wage discrepancies compared to similar positions in surrounding cities.”

In March, the City Council elected to give the employees a 2.5% COLA.

“Without the tax increase in 2025, this has created a short fall in the FY2027 budget,” the packet reads. “If the portion of the proposed property tax increase for revenue shortage is not approved, the General Fund will need to use a contribution from fund balance of $455,321 to balance revenues and expenditures.”

Contact Standard-Examiner editor Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net.