The Riverton City Council tabled a resolution that would begin the process of withdrawing from the Unified Fire Authority Service Area and creating the city’s own taxing district for fire and emergency services.
The resolution, which says Riverton would likely leave the service area by year’s end, was tabled to allow for completion of a feasibility study and provide ample time for a public hearing.
The property tax amount under the new service area would be comparable to the current tax, according to Riverton City Attorney Ryan Carter.
“[The tax] is based upon our current property tax rate, less than what it would be for a bonding indebtedness,” Carter said.
Using property taxes levied from the cities, the Unified Fire Service Area pays for emergency services in several municipalities within its jurisdiction. Some of the cities, including Riverton, are members of the service area, while others contract with the Unified Fire Authority for services.
If Riverton leaves the service area, it would plan on contracting with Unified Fire for fire and emergency services, said city spokesman Casey Saxton.
Riverton withdrew from the Salt Lake Valley Law Enforcement Service Area previously and last year also left the Unified Police Department to form its own law enforcement agency after calculating that such a move would allow the city to deploy more officers at about the same cost.
The City Council is likely to vote on the resolution during its May meeting.
