By Erin Dixon | [email protected]

The West Jordan City government works on a fiscal year budget. This means that each yearly budget is approved in June each year and is active from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.

The total budget amount for fiscal year 2018–2019 is $62,175,500. (This includes dollars available after the property tax increase that occurred in August 2018.)

Late February 2019, the city council approved the use of $6,308,440.13 from the annual budget. That money was divided as follows. Each bullet is accompanied with a further explanation of the spending.

• To Bowen Collins & Associates for Electrical Engineering Services at the Airport Booster Station: $16,649.00. “The work is to design and specify electrical equipment for motor controls and switch panels for water pumps at 4031 West 7800 South.” Tim Heyrend, Senior Utilities Engineer

• To Horrocks Engineers for engineering services for the 8600 South Bridge over Mountain View Corridor Project: $26,606.21. “Horrocks Engineers has been hired to provide the environmental clearances. A portion of the money that will be used is from Federal grants. [A]pproximately one year from now, pending four more property acquisitions, the project will be under construction in 2020. The construction will take one year to 18 months, so it should be completed by Summer to Fall of 2021.” Dave Murphey, capital projects engineer

• To Kilgore Contracting for the 7800 South Widening and Realignment of New Bingham Highway Project: $4,929,100.90. “Kilgore Contracting being the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. They are expected to start work in March. There are three potential phases of varying traffic control, with the first being the closure of the one-way leg of 7800 South from Airport Road to the merge with New Bingham Highway for reconstruction and widening. When this section reopens after that closure, two-way traffic (east and west) will be available on 7800 South. The two other phases are for reconstruction and widening of other sections of New Bingham Highway. All of the work is scheduled to be completed within 300 days from the commencement of work.” Dave Murphey

• Purchase Ice Slicer/Redmond road salt from Staker Parson for the Street Department inventory: $100,000. “Independent lab tests have proven that it is more effective than "Type C" road salt at lower temperatures. Ice Slicer/Redmond road salt can be applied directly in extremely cold situations or mixed with "Type C" salt and applied at less extreme temperatures.” Brian Clegg, public works director

• Purchase Type C-Regular road salt from Morton Salt, Inc.: $75,000. “This salt works well in higher temperatures. With the snow removal operation, the two different salt can be blended, which makes the salt more effective and last a bit longer.” Brian Clegg.

• Purchase water meters for the Water Operations inventory: $933,114.88. “The water utility replaces approximately 5,000 residential meters and registers annually and approximately 250 commercial meters and registers annually. It is our objective to maintain an adequate stock of meters and associated parts within the operations inventory to facilitate replacement of failed meters and installation of new meters throughout the city,” Brian Clegg

• Purchase of a new 2000A Switchboard from Codale Electric Supply $23,851.24.

“In-house staff is currently upgrading one of the city’s water booster stations. We are upgrading one pump motor by 150-horespower and installing an additional motor of 300 horsepower with a pump. With the upgrades that are being completed the new power switchboard is required as we will need additional amperage,” said Brian Clegg.

• To Commercial Mechanical for maintenance of HVAC /Mechanical equipment for city-owned buildings: $42,040.00. “This includes an inspection checklist, checking fluid levels, seasonal start up and shutdown of furnaces and chillers, changing filters, etc. It is really simple routine care-taking of the City's HVAC equipment.” Justin Stoker, Public Works Department deputy director 

• To Rulon Harper Construction, INC. for the 7000 South Railroad Crossing Improvement project: $162,077.90. “The original contract with Rulon Harper Construction anticipated installing an 18-inch storm drain line using open cut trenching construction methods across existing railroad tracks. However, during the contractor permitting process, Union Pacific Railroad required that the proposed construction method changed to a jack and bore installation method.” Brian Clegg

When the budget was published on the city’s website, City Manager David Brickey indicated that, “...more than half of [the total] amount (53 percent) [is] for emergency services alone (fire, EMS, police, etc.).”

He also outlined other major avenues for the cities spending: “This budget authorizes funding to improve our roads ($14,604,551), our storm drain system ($4,357,754), our water system ($15,727,106), our sanitary sewer system ($7,423,510) and our fleet ($1,134,323),” Brickey said. 

The city revenue is primarily funded through taxes, property and sales. 

• Taxes: $42,937,242
• Licenses and Permits: $3,057,500
• Intergovernmental $5,104,652
• Contributions (use of reserves) $5,236,763
• Charges for Services $3,617,570
• Fines, Forfeitures, miscellaneous and events: $2,221,773

To see complete the budget, visit https://www.westjordan.utah.gov/city-budget