Economic Stability

Draper City is one of the lowest taxed cities in the State. We are almost built out on the residential side. Our future quality of life and low taxes depends on how we finish our commercial sites. Keeping taxes low yet still providing quality government services and government amenities takes planning and vision.  To secure our future, we need to make sure we have high-value developments in our remaining commercial areas.

We need quality employers and retail businesses in our city to increase our sales tax revenue. One-third of our city budget comes from sales tax! Sales tax is our lifeblood, and because of this, quality development plays a central role in our future.  

The potential value of the prison site is staggering. 

Smart Retail Development: Now, think about what smart retail planning looks like. Let’s use RC Willey as an example. We went after RC Willey, and we competed with several other cities to get them. We made a deal with them to incentivize them to come to Draper. Our deal was to share 50% of our portion of the sales tax revenue they generated up to a set dollar amount. We thought it would take five years to hit the number. Well, we just paid it off in three years! So now we get 100% of the sales tax revenue from that store two years earlier than we projected. Before the store, we had no sales tax, and now we do, and it is significant. We do these kinds of deals all the time. I look for these opportunities, and I go after them.    

High-Quality High Paying Jobs: I have worked hard to find and bring high-quality employers to Draper, amazing companies, like Edwards Lifesciences, Pluralsight, eBay, 1- 800 Contacts, Health Equity, Dell, Hoops Vision, Wasatch Labs, Larry Miller Ford & Mercedes, Karl Malone Toyota, Harmons, General RV, Camping World, The amazing Utah National Guard (headquarters) great restaurants, the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium and many others.

Why does that matter to you?  These developments are now generating real significant tax revenue. The retail stores are generating new sales tax revenue, and these developments employ thousands of people. They are true economic engines that require minimal city services. Every dollar we collect from these new economic developments is a dollar we don’t need to collect from you! That kind of development and revenue generation secures our future and is THE reason the Draper City Council has NOT had a vote to increase your property taxes in the last ten years!

The Future: Imagine what the 700-acre prison site will do (it’s in an even better location) if properly developed. It will generate billions of dollars in tax revenue if properly developed into the Silicon Slopes! If developed correctly, the prison site is a game-changer for Draper City, Salt Lake County, and the State of Utah.   

My goal has always been to see this prison site developed and owned by private parties so it can finally, for the first time in its history, hit the tax rolls.