After six and a half hours of public comment and discussion on Tuesday, the Utah County Commission voted to increase the county portion of property taxes by 67.4%, which will give the county an additional $19.3 million to fund various county departments and balance its 2020 budget.

The commission voted 2-1 in support of the increase, with Commissioners Tanner Ainge and Nathan Ivie in support and Commissioner Bill Lee in opposition.

It passed with the caveat that the commission would revisit the decision in June, when they will evaluate whether such an increase would be needed to balance the budget after accounting for additional revenue from the sale of the $10 million North County Equestrian Park, which the commissioners are considering.

Currently, the county portion of property taxes that the average Utah County homeowners pays is about $123 a year. With this increase, the average homeowner will pay about $83 more annually.

Under the Truth-In-Taxation process, the rate of the county portion of property taxes collected in Utah County naturally decreases so residents pay the same dollar amount in property taxes every year. Because of this, the county portion of property taxes has not been raised in 23 years.

Utah County has the lowest property tax rate in the state, and that would likely still be the case if a tax increase passed, according to Deputy Clerk Josh Daniels.

The tax increase is slightly lower than the 69% Ainge proposed at a Dec. 4 town hall and again early in the meeting Tuesday. The number was lowered as the commissioners worked together to brainstorm last-minute cuts that could save the county money.

These include a $200,000 cut to the Justice Court, $12,000 in savings by no longer reimbursing commissioners for miles put on their cars, and thousands saved by removing four vehicles from the county’s fleet.

A significant portion of the meeting focused on a potential cut to the STEM portion of the Utah County 4-H program, a youth development program offered through partnership with Utah State University Extension.

Ainge said he supported cutting the STEM portion of the 4-H program in an effort to balance the 2020 budget, adding, though, that he received more emails from upset residents about this potential cut than he has about the property tax increase.

Around a dozen 4-H participants were present in Tuesday’s meeting and spoke about the impact the STEM program had on their lives, saying it inspired them at a young age and launched them on a productive path.

Residents who attended the meeting to comment on property taxes interjected that they felt STEM programs should be funded by state and federal grants and not through the county budget.

The commission voted unanimously to defund the STEM portion of 4-H, saving the county $66,000 a year. Ainge and Ivie said they saw the value of the program but didn’t see it as an essential county government service.

Lee said he would support continuing to use reserve funds to fund ongoing expenses in order to raise property taxes as little as possible. Both Ivie and Ainge disagreed with this type of spending, which Ainge called irresponsible.

Shortly after the meeting, Ivie tweeted, “A ‘conservative’ that votes for every increase in spending yet refuses to pay for it is a fraud.”

Dozens of residents gave public comment during the property tax portion of the meeting. All of them said they were opposed to such a large increase and the fact it was proposed so late in the year.

“I think you’ve really failed us in not getting this (possible increase) out sooner,” Dan Lovinger said to the commissioners. “And your report card does not look good.”

Julie Blaney, of Payson, said she would be prepared to put forward a referendum if property taxes increased. She said tax hikes are an “assault from every angle,” with increases having been proposed at the state, city, county and school district levels.

Ainge said the commission was empathetic to resident concerns but that a tax increase would be necessary for the county to perform its duties.

“We are trying to do essential services and that’s it,” Ainge said.

The new revenue will increase the budgets and staffing of various county departments, including human resources, the clerk/auditor’s office and the attorney’s office. Additionally, the money will go toward county reserves to be used in the case of an emergency.

The county’s total 2020 budget will be more than $104 million. The 2019 budget was around $94.3 million.