South Davis Metro Fire's Board of Trustees meets Friday, Aug. 7, at 8 a.m. at Station 81 in Bountiful to tackle a governance shakeup and hear operational updates from Interim Fire Chief Jeff Larsen, following the district's Monday, Aug. 3 public hearing on a proposed 16% property tax increase.

The five-item agenda centers on a sub-committee review of the Administrative Committee's role, with Woods Cross Mayor Ryan Westergard presenting the update to the full board. The Administrative Committee, made up of city managers from Bountiful, Centerville, North Salt Lake, West Bountiful and Woods Cross plus a Davis County clerk representative, has overseen the district's financial decisions since its formation in 2015.

Now the board wants to know whether that structure still works.

A Bountiful City staff report prepared for a related Aug. 11 council work session describes the challenge bluntly: the fire chief must answer to two oversight bodies, and interviews with former chiefs and district staff suggest navigating both "can be cumbersome and, at times, a source of stress for district leadership." One option under discussion would have the Administrative Committee chair serve a three-year rotating term to provide continuity between leadership changes.

Changes to the committee are now solely at the discretion of the Board of Trustees, according to the staff report by Bountiful City Manager Gary Hill. The Bountiful City Council will hear Hill's presentation Tuesday, Aug. 11, at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 795 South Main St. Mayor Kate Bradshaw, who sits on both the fire board and the reviewing sub-committee, will be present.

As we reported Aug. 4, the board meeting follows the Monday, Aug. 3 Truth-in-Taxation hearing on a proposed rate increase from 0.000519 to an estimated 0.000608. The district's own impact statement projects the hike would generate about $1.3 million in new annual revenue to cover a $1.9 million budget shortfall. For the average Bountiful-area homeowner with a $623,000 assessed value, that means roughly $29 more per year on the tax bill.

The shortfall stems from three main cost drivers: $807,140 for salary and benefit increases to stay competitive, $238,853 for a new deputy fire chief position and $255,977 for higher operating costs including dispatch services, a wildland special operations division and fire prevention staffing.

South Davis Metro Fire serves about 120,000 residents across six communities and unincorporated south Davis County, operating five stations staffed around the clock. According to KSL, the district leads Davis County's nine entities seeking tax increases this cycle.

Larsen is also expected to deliver an operations report and a separate fire chief's report at Friday's meeting. The board may enter a closed session to discuss real property, pending litigation or personnel matters under Utah Code §52-4-205.

Residents needing ADA accommodations can call 801-677-2400 with at least 48 hours' notice.