Orem homeowners could be looking at a small property tax bump next year, as the City Council weighs a plan to channel a bit more money into police staffing and gear. When the council meets on Tuesday, May 12, it will consider a tentative FY 2026-2027 budget that includes a proposed property tax increase tied specifically to public safety, along with the creation of a new Public Safety Special Revenue Fund.
Under the proposal, the general-operations slice of the city’s property tax levy would be dedicated to that new fund, and city officials say the typical household impact would be modest.
The city laid out the plan in a public notice on its Facebook page, which details a 3:00 p.m. work session and a 6:00 p.m. regular meeting and directs residents to streaming links and the full agenda packet. As posted by the City of Orem Government, the notice explains that the city’s chief financial officer will publicly confirm that the tentative budget includes a proposed tax-rate increase. The post also links viewers to the city’s YouTube channel for the livestream.
Numbers and What They Buy
City budget documents peg the proposed public safety levy increase from 0.000603 to an estimated 0.000645, which would generate roughly $450,000 in new revenue. That works out to about a 7% bump in the property tax funding that flows to public safety.
According to the City of Orem, a primary residence assessed at $513,000 would pay about $11.85 more per year if the rate change is approved. That extra cash is slated to cover two additional police officers plus their equipment.
How the Increase Would Be Approved
Utah’s Truth-in-Taxation rules tightly control how much more property tax revenue a city can collect from one year to the next. A city can only go above last year’s property tax revenue total if it goes through a formal public notice and hearing process that lets taxpayers weigh in.
The Utah State Tax Commission spells out the timeline and the notice requirements that cities and other taxing entities have to follow before they adopt any levy that exceeds the state-certified tax rate.
What Happens Next
On Tuesday night, the council is expected to vote on accepting the FY 2026-2027 tentative budget for further consideration and to set a public hearing for June 9 at 6:00 p.m. The same agenda also shows plans to schedule a separate August hearing focused specifically on the proposed public safety levy, according to the City of Orem.
Residents who want to speak at the meeting will need to sign in beforehand and can review the full budget packet online. For those who prefer to watch from home, the council session will be streamed live.
