WELLINGTON, Utah — Wellington city leaders acknowledged this week that years of mismanagement by past officials and a massive budget shortfall have led to a moment that has drawn angst from residents.
Their efforts to fix an ongoing problem culminated in a public meeting Wednesday focused on what residents called a “ridiculous” 225 percent tax hike, which is the highest in the entire state, leading to temperatures running high both emotionally and literally as the people of Wellington filled council chambers beyond capacity.
“Keep it respectful. I know a lot of people are frustrated,” said Wellington Mayor Jack Clark before the meeting.
Clark himself said he shared in the frustration of residents.
“Everywhere I look, I find problems,” he acknowledged.
The mayor said his predecessor, Brad Timothy, started an effort to clean up the city’s books, but a recent review of accounts unveiled the extent of the problems.
“We know kind of where we’re at. We know we’re losing about $70,000 a month,” Clark shared.
Clark explained that Wellington taxes hadn’t gone up since 2017, even while utility costs, city payroll, and inflation steadily rose.
“What happens if this doesn’t pass?” the mayor asked. “Immediate budget shortfall is nearly $400,000.”
The new tax proposal will bring in about $375,000 for the city.
“It doesn’t take me eight years to wake up to the fact I’ve got major, major problems,” said resident Bill Barnes.
Residents like Barnes are left to worry about what their rising costs will become.
“The numbers I’m reading on my piece of paper are over $800,” he claimed.
Others are concerned about the toll the rate hike could have on trying to build up the small community of 1,600.
“Nobody tries to pursue some companies to come into Wellington. That’s gonna scare anyone away,” feared Ray Reddington, who has lived in the city since 1971.
Seeing the severity of the financial situation, some even grappled with the thought of life without Wellington.
“At what point are we better off just saying we can’t afford to be a city and we go county?” asked resident Caleb Nelson
After nearly two hours of public comment, the city council voted to table the effort after hearing from residents, with hopes of working towards a better solution, which would need to be passed by October.