Payson, Santaquin, Springville and Woodland Hills are all seeking to raise their rates, with the highest proposed percentage increase coming in Payson, where City Manager David Tuckett said the city is planning to build a second fire station.

Payson looks to increase its property tax revenue by 18.16% annually to receive an additional $481,690, which will cover the annual bond payment of a $5 million bond going toward the station.

That translates into a $49.42 tax increase on a $447,000 residence per year, from $269.94 to $319.36, and an $89.84 increase on businesses, from $490.81 to $580.65.

Tuckett said the city has already saved $5 million toward the $10 million project.

“We talked to the council, and of course they would rather not borrow money either, but they felt like this might be the best way and that the city’s put quite a bit of skin in the game to pay for half of it,” Tuckett said. “So that’s what the reason for it is. That’s what the public hearing will be about.”

He also addressed why tax raises are needed to invest in infrastructure to meet the demands of future growth.

“We’ve got a lot of infrastructure needs,” he said. “And with the growth there’s impact fees that can help pay for it. We will use that, but you can’t count on it. When you’re bonding, you have to have a revenue source in case (a project) dries up and you don’t have any building, you still have to pay the bill.”

A Payson City social media post said a new fire station would lead to faster response times and better coverage, and would support growing call volume.

The proposal will be discussed in a public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Payson City Hall Council Chambers.

Payson’s neighbor to the south, Santaquin, is proposing an 8.05% property tax increase to bring in $163,958 of revenue, which Mayor Dan Olson said will pay one-half of a salary for a police officer, fire officer and a library worker.

The tax on a $455,000 residence would rise from $325.83 to $352.60, a $26.77 increase, while the tax on a $455,000 business would go from $592.41 to $641.10, for a $48.69 increase. A public hearing for the tax increase will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Santaquin City Hall Council Chambers.

Woodland Hills proposed increasing its property tax budgeted revenue by 9.98% to receive an additional $101,815 in revenue. The city said the increase is for “maintenance and repair.”

In the proposal, which will be presented at 6 p.m. Aug. 12 in the council chambers, a tax on a $967,000 resident would increase from $1,645.01 to $1,810.42, equating to an extra $165.41. A tax on a $967,000 business would go from $2,990.93 to $3,291.67, a $300.74 increase.

Springville is proposing the smallest property tax increase of the four cities, seeking to expand its budget by 1.99% to receive an additional $67,465. For a $475,000 residence, that amounts to a $4.18 annual increase, from $194.11 to $198.29, while the rates for a $475,000 business would go from $352.93 to $360.53, a $7.60 increase.