Farmington homeowners will pay an extra $32.58 a year after the City Council voted Tuesday, Aug. 18, to approve a 4.99% property tax increase dedicated entirely to the Fire Department.

The vote, taken during the city's Truth in Taxation hearing, raises Farmington's certified tax rate from 0.001506 to 0.001581 and will generate $285,108 in new annual revenue for Fiscal Year 2026–27, the Davis Journal reported. For the average home valued at $790,000, that works out to about $2.72 more per month. Businesses at the same valuation will see a $59.25 annual increase.

The money covers personnel costs for three full-time firefighters hired in January, which brought the department from seven to eight firefighters per shift, and for the Fire Marshal position that moved from part-time to full-time because of new state wildland fire management legislation. Those costs had been temporarily covered by General Fund reserves, which city leaders said is no longer sustainable.

Mayor Brett Anderson told residents the city is building a fire department that can "manage itself" rather than relying on volunteers or neighboring Kaysville for emergency backup. Fire Chief Shelby Willis presented data at the council's Nov. 18, 2025, work session showing Farmington received mutual aid from other cities roughly 350 times a year while providing aid only about 56 times, and that the department met the national response-time standard just 33% of the time.

One resident pushed back.

Olivia King, who has lived in Farmington for more than 50 years, told the council the increase would be difficult for seniors on fixed incomes. "Not even my Social Security can keep up with what is being asked," King said.

Councilmember Roger Child pointed seniors to Utah's property tax deferral program, which lets qualifying homeowners delay payment until they sell or transfer their home. Councilmember Kristin Sherlock noted that the state's "circuit breaker" program offers discounted taxes based on income.

The increase is the smallest among Davis County cities raising rates this year. Woods Cross approved a 46.86% hike, Centerville 15.61% and Kaysville 14.12%, according to the city's meeting packet.

City Manager Brigham Mellor outlined the broader plan at a May 5 budget work session: a 5% property tax increase each year for four years to staff two fire stations. Finance Director Levi Ball said at a June 16 work session that higher-than-expected new growth reduced the needed revenue from $300,000 to $285,108, which is why the final rate landed at 4.99% instead of 5%.

Farmington's last property tax increase was a 27% hike adopted Aug. 20, 2024, to fund police staffing. Residents can explore tax relief options at farmington.utah.gov or by calling 801-939-9218.