Fruit Heights Council Declines to Back County Sales Tax, Approves UDOT Lighting Easement
At its Sept. 1 meeting the Fruit Heights City Council voted 3-2 not to send Davis County a letter supporting the proposed 0.20% “5th of the 5th” local option sales tax. The council also approved an easement for new UDOT pedestrian lighting on Main Street and awarded a fencing contract for the city’s culinary water pump house. The outcomes come from the city’s approved minutes.
No letter on the county sales tax
Council Member Gary Anderson moved to skip the letter of support, and Council Member Eileen Moss seconded. Anderson, Moss and David Hale voted yes; Mark Cottrell and Blake Winslow voted no.
According to the minutes, council members saw possible benefits, including money that could support the county’s justice system and local public safety. Their concerns were the timing, the lack of a specific commitment on how the discretionary money would be spent, and the city’s position on further tax increases. Members noted the funds are not earmarked for the Sheriff’s Office and said a more specific county plan would have given them more confidence. The council also pointed out that the County Commission, not the city, decides the tax, and encouraged residents with views to contact the county directly.
The County Commission later approved the tax. DCU covered that decision here: Davis County Enacts a 0.2% Sales Tax: What the Ordinance Says, and When It Shows Up on Your Receipt.
UDOT lighting easement on Main Street
The council voted 5-0 for Resolution 2026-14, giving UDOT a small easement on city-owned land at Nichols Road and Main Street. It will hold a streetlight over the sidewalk as part of UDOT’s Safe Sidewalks project, which adds pedestrian lighting along Main Street from roughly the Cherry Hill area toward Davis High School. UDOT will install and maintain the light and use its own standard fixture rather than the city’s style.
Pump house fencing
The council also voted 5-0 to award fencing and a gate operator around the city’s culinary water pump house to Watts Fencing. Staff said bids came in higher than budgeted. The council backed adding an automatic gate, using savings from the city’s SCADA project, which came in under budget. Public Works crews visit the pump house four to five times a day, and members cited the need to keep the water system secure.
The council also began reviewing moderate-income housing strategies. Staff asked for direction at a coming meeting so the Planning Commission can draft an implementation plan for the city’s General Plan update.
Read the minutes on the Fruit Heights Agenda Center. More local government news at DCU News.
Tax rates and project details are set by the county, city and UDOT and can change. Confirm on the official sites.
