Roy referendum falls short; Proposition 10 votes will not count
Roy City announced Oct. 20 that signature withdrawals made the property-tax referendum insufficient. Proposition 10 remains printed on November ballots, but votes on it will not count.
Updated, Oct. 21: what changed ↓
Continuing story: Auditing Roy
Roy City's property-tax referendum no longer qualifies for the November election after valid signature withdrawals, the city announced Oct. 20. Proposition 10 was printed on November ballots, but the city says votes for or against it will not be counted. [5]
The council had adopted a $1,749,050 property-tax increase for fiscal 2027. The printed Proposition 10 question asked voters whether the city should be authorized to levy a rate sufficient to generate that increase. [2][4]
What the council adopted
The city's hearing notice, as recorded in the Aug. 11, 2026 minutes, said Roy was considering an increase to generate an additional $2,807,745, "approximately 54.94%." [1]
Councilmember Wilson moved to approve Resolution 26-24 "with a tax rate of 34.24%, striking the COLA for the Council and Mayor," approving a 2.8% cost-of-living raise for employees and wage correction adjustments for full-time employees as determined by a salary survey. Councilmember Sphar seconded. [1]
Councilmembers Hulbert, Jackson, Sphar and Wilson voted yes. Councilmember Saxton voted no. The minutes were approved on Sept. 15, 2026. [1]
The city's final budget describes the result as "a property tax increase of $1,749,050, or 34.25%." [2]
Where the money is budgeted
The final budget says $195,550 "addresses the revenue shortfall associated with the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) implemented in March 2026," $346,129 funds the 2.8% cost-of-living raise for the coming year, and "$1,207,371 is designated for wage correction adjustments." [2]
The budget says the council approved a 28% tax increase in August 2025 that would have gone to employees, and that the increase "was later denied by the Utah State Tax Commission." It says the council then gave employees a 2.5% cost-of-living raise in March 2026. [2]
The budget refers to a Property Tax Impact Schedule with a department-by-department breakdown and says it is available as a separate document. [2]
How the referendum status changed
City Recorder Brittany Fowers's Oct. 14 determination said the petition was received Aug. 12. It recorded 1,878 valid signatures out of 2,104 submitted, against a citywide requirement of 1,786. These are the figures in the earlier determination, not a current signature count. [3]
The Oct. 14 letter said the petition met the 10% threshold in three of the city's four voter participation areas and would go to the November election. The city's Oct. 20 update superseded that finding after valid signature withdrawals. [3][5]
The city says Proposition 10 remains printed on the November ballot, but votes for or against it will not be counted because the petition is now insufficient. [5]
Updated Oct. 21: Roy City's Oct. 20 announcement supersedes the earlier finding that the referendum qualified for the Nov. 3 election. The headline, summary and current-status passages have been updated. The original Oct. 14 determination is retained as history. The percentages describe Roy City's own property-tax revenue, not the change in a property's total tax bill.
Sources
- Roy City Council · Aug. 11, 2026 approved minutes
- Roy City · Final budget, fiscal 2026-27
- Roy City Recorder · Oct. 14, 2026 referendum sufficiency determination
- Weber County Elections · Nov. 3, 2026 official sample ballot
- Roy City · Referendum petitions, update Oct. 20, 2026
Reporting by The Utah Ledger from the public records above. AI-assisted, checked against those records.