Utah League board approves lower membership dues increase, opts for Option 1

The Utah League of Cities and Towns board voted on Jan. 8 to approve “Option 1” for membership dues for the coming fiscal year, choosing a smaller aggregate increase instead of a larger dues package staff presented earlier.

The decision followed a staff presentation outlining three options for next year’s dues formula and a discussion about whether dues should fully cover estimated personnel and cost-of-living increases. Staff told the board that keeping the current formula would have produced a large property-value-driven dues spike (31.4 percent) and recommended moderating the weight of property valuation in the dues calculation.

Why it matters: the dues formula determines the League’s core revenue and how costs are shared across Utah cities and towns. Staff noted membership dues make up roughly 69 percent of core revenue and that recent above‑budget conference revenue and a sizable reserve position give the League flexibility to adopt a more modest increase.

Board debate and motion: several members argued for smaller increases to avoid burdening cities with steep property‑value driven hikes. Council Member Dugan (transcript speaker) publicly recommended Option 2 initially, but a substitute motion to adopt Option 1 was moved and seconded. On the substitute motion, the chair called for the question and members voted “aye”; the chair declared the substitute motion carried and the original motion withdrawn.

Staff context: ULCT staff said Option 3 would nearly cover an estimated 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment for staff but noted the League’s reserves and higher-than-expected conference revenue in recent years reduce the immediate need to recover all personnel costs through dues.

Next steps: staff will implement the dues formula approved by the board and include the change in the League’s budget process. The board discussed finalizing the dues at either this meeting or the March meeting and indicated the action taken Jan. 8 settles the matter unless members request further revision before March.