Park City council approves smaller pay raises for city employees

Park City council members scaled back a controversial pay plan for elected officials, lowering the cost to taxpayers after weeks of public backlash and a divided debate over how much the mayor and council should earn. The move came as budget writers tried to hold property taxes flat while finalizing a fiscal year 2027 spending plan that was slightly larger than the city’s $98.3 million FY2026 budget.

Under the revised plan, the mayor’s annual pay would rise to $66,683.62 and each council member’s to $34,373, with the increase beginning July 1, the start of Park City’s fiscal year. That is far below the version approved in May, which would have raised the mayor’s salary from $55,209 to $116,666 and each council member’s from $28,520 to $58,333. The earlier package would have put the mayor’s total compensation, including health benefits and a $3,000 car allowance, at about $149,397 a year, while each council member would have received about $88,064.

City staff had argued that elected-official pay had not been substantially adjusted since fiscal year 2015, aside from cost-of-living changes, and that Park City had fallen behind comparable jurisdictions. They said higher compensation could widen the pool of candidates by making public office more accessible to people who cannot easily step away from full-time work. Under the original plan, the city’s elected-official compensation package totaled almost $596,000, compared with $389,000 if compensation had remained on the current plan.

The city’s broader budget picture helped shape the final vote. Park City’s tentative FY2027 operating budget was slightly higher than the $98.3 million FY2026 budget, and its general revenue fund was projected at $57.7 million, up from about $56.3 million. Staff said department reorganizations and reallocated Sundance Film Festival funding helped offset new spending, a sign that council members were trying to keep the budget balanced without turning to a property tax increase.

Public reaction to the original raises was intense, with residents criticizing both the size of the increases and the process used to approve them. Mayor Ryan Dickey said the city may have moved too quickly and called the original raise “just a little big.” Councilmember Tana Toly said she was open to revisiting the issue and suggested phasing the increase in over four years or considering another reduced option. Councilmember Molly Miller urged residents to keep the discourse respectful after police were called to a city event on June 1 following a confrontation over Bonanza Park development plans.

The council said it wanted to revisit elected-official compensation before the November 2027 municipal election. For Park City, the smaller raises lowered the immediate political temperature, but the larger question of how the city pays for public service, and how much residents are willing to support, is still far from settled.