Prepared by the Utah Taxpayers Association in cooperation with Strata Policy
The Utah Taxpayers Association’s 2015 Cost of County Governments report, based on FY 2013 data, shows the relationship between county government revenue and citizen income in Utah’s 29 counties. This data provides a snapshot of on average how much of each thousand dollars earned by a citizen is consumed by the county government in Utah.
This report systematically compares how well elected officials in Utah’s counties control public spending and illustrates the relationship between government as a service provider and citizens as consumers. If government were a business, citizens would be consumers purchasing services with tax dollars and fee payments. But because government is not a private business, citizens are compelled to pay, and the cost of government may not be reflective of the true value of the services provided.
The Utah Taxpayers Association regularly reviews the budgets and tax rates of Utah’s cities, counties and school districts. But to provide a more standardized means of comparing how well elected officials control public spending, the Taxpayers Association, in cooperation with Strata Policy, has created this report. An explanation of our methodology is at the end of this report.
Click below to view the full report.