Sandy homeowners will pay about $27 more a year in property taxes after the Canyons Board of Education voted 6-0 on Tuesday, Aug. 4, to approve a tax rate increase that will generate $6.87 million in new revenue for the 2026-27 school year.
The vote at the district's Truth-in-Taxation hearing, held at 6 p.m. at the board chambers on 9361 South 300 East in Sandy, closes the book on a proposal the district first floated in June. Board member Andrew Edtl moved to approve the new total tax rate of 0.005559; Jackson Lewis seconded. All six members present voted yes.
Nancy Oaks was absent.
The board's approval also finalized the full 2026-27 budget, which had been tentatively adopted at the June 16 meeting contingent on the tax vote's outcome.
Where the money goes
Of the $6.87 million, $2.37 million funds operations and $4.5 million goes to capital projects and bond paydown, according to district board records.
The operations money pays for a cost-of-living adjustment for district employees and two new teachers — in manufacturing and engineering — at the Canyons Innovation Center being built at the former eBay regional headquarters in Draper. That facility is scheduled to open in August 2027.
The $4.5 million capital portion accelerates bond payoff. The district's long-term goal is to free up capital funds to renovate 13 elementary buildings that are more than 50 years old, without raising taxes again.
What Sandy homeowners actually pay
On a $770,000 home, the gross increase on the Canyons line is $72.42 a year. But a roughly $45 drop in debt-service payments offsets most of that, bringing the net hit to $27.03 a year, or $2.25 a month. As we reported July 28, the net figure hasn't changed since the district first published the numbers.
Third year in a row
This marks the fourth time Canyons has raised its certified rate since the district's founding in 2009, and the third consecutive year it has done so. As the Sandy Herald reported Aug. 4, the Utah Taxpayers Association identified Canyons as one of only nine taxing entities statewide seeking a property tax increase for a third straight year. Across Utah, 67 entities proposed a combined $93.6 million in additional property-tax revenue this August.
Billy Hesterman, president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, said in that Aug. 4 statement that "government should not need to ask residents for additional revenue year after year without presenting a credible long-term plan to control spending."
Leon Wilcox, the district's business administrator and CFO, presented the staff case for the increase at the hearing.
Key dates for homeowners
Homeowners on fixed incomes may qualify for one of seven state property tax relief programs. The application deadline is Sept. 1. Those who believe their home is overvalued may appeal to the Board of Equalization by Sept. 15.
