RICHMOND CITY SNAPSHOT
The city of Richmond, Utah (population 2312) is located near the Idaho border, fourteen miles north of Logan in Cache County. It was settled in 1859 and incorporated as a city in 1868. Richmond still retains much of its rural charm - including Utah-Idaho Central Railroad Company's old depot building that once linked Cache Valley cities.
Traditions
Since 1913 the annual Black and White Days (named after black & white Holstein cattle) has been a major event and celebration in Richmond. This event has evolved into one of the largest exclusive Holstein dairy shows in the United States. Held each year in May, it draws visitors and exhibitors from throughout the Intermountain West, Texas and California.
Interesting Facts
Like alpine Switzerland, the climate and land of Cache Valley has always been an ideal place to raise dairy cows and Richmond boasted the first creamery and condensed milk plant in the valley. Today the major industries in Richmond are Pepperidge Farms and Lower’s Food (a small deli meats processing plant). Richmond is also home to many small but thriving family farms such as the Rockhill Creamery which makes great cheese from the milk of just five Brown Swiss cows.
City Facts:
Population
2000 Census / 2006 Census Estimate / 2006 Census Cache Co. Challenge2,051 / 1,790 / 2,312
Like much of Utah, Richmond is growing. Utah’s higher than average birthrate will continue to fuel a natural increase in population. A relatively strong local economy should result innet in-migration. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated Richmond’s population to be 1,790. Cache County applied different methodology and challenged the Census estimate with a figure of 2,312. The challenge figure is a more accurate estimate and is used throughout this guide for all per-capita calculations.
Government Organization
City Offices:
6 West Main StreetRichmond, UT 84333
Website:
Phone: 435-258-2092
Fax: 435-258-3604
E-Mail:
Office Hours: M-F 9AM-5PM
City officials
Mayor: Mike Hall
City Manager: Marlowe Adkins
City Treasurer: Chris Purser
City Recorder: Justin Lewis
Fire Chief: Bob Hugo
City Council
Council Member / Liaison AppointmentsBrad Jensen / Nuisance Board; Maintenance and Equipment; Water & Sewer; Fire Department
Allen Lundgreen / Planning & Zoning; Neighborhood Watch; CVTD liaison; Cache County Sheriff’s Department liaison
Keith Ward / Streets; Buildings; Sidewalks; Irrigation Company liaison
Terrie Wierenga / Library; EMT; department; CERT; Website
Jeff Young / Black & White Days; Cultural Arts & Sports; Youth Council; Civic Group liaison; Park and City Property; City Party
Planning Commission Members
Commission Member / Home PhoneDr. Randy Jones (Chair) / 258-3751
Lee Anderson / 258-2171
Suzanne Dent / Unavailable
Daryl Black / 258-5244
Chris Anderson / 258-5551
Monica Merrill / Unavailable
Guide to involvement
Richmond is a city of the fifth class operating in a traditionalform of municipal government.See appendices A andB for more information about government classes and types. The regular meeting of the City Council is the third Tuesday of each month in the City Council chambers. Mayor Mike Hall serves as chair of the City Council, but votes only to break a tie.
Planning and Zoning Commission
The Planning & Zoning Commissionmeets the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the City Council chambers. The Planning and Zoning Commission is the land use authority that is charged with development of the general plan, formulation and administration of the Zoning Map and Ordinance, and the review of any other land use matters designated by the Mayor and Council. It is an advisory board.
Justice Court
Richmond Justice Court
PO Box 403
Richmond, Utah 84333
Phone: (435) 258-2092
The Richmond Municipal Court is held every Wednesday at 7PM in the city council chambers. Judge Beth Skidmore serves as magistrate. The court has power over class B and C misdemeanors, violations of ordinances, small claims, and infractions committed within Richmond’s territorial jurisdiction. In fiscal year 2007, Richmond’s Justice Court collected court fines, bail forfeitures, and moving violations surcharges. These fines were sent to the state and $56,138 was distributed back to be used as revenue in Richmond’s General Fund.
Services
Richmond city provides the following major services: water and sewer, public works maintenance, parks and recreation, Fire Department and EMT response, and library. Waste collection and recycling is handled through a mandatory county-wide interlocal agreement with the Logan City Environmental Works Department. Law enforcement services are contracted out to the Cache County Sheriff’s office.
Water and Sewer
Water and sewer service revenues are self-supported by user-rates. Funds from these services cannot be used for general government expenses and any net profits must be re-invested into the infrastructure of the utilities.
Richmond employs a plateau pricing structure for water and sewer services with marginal price increases for heavier use. A base fee is charged for all usage from zero to 10,000 gallons for water and zero to 15,000 gallons for sewer. All water usage above 10,000 gallons is charged extra, based on 1,000 gallon increments, or the portion of 1,000 gallons above the break point. Sewer usage above 15,000 gallons is charged extra, based on 1,000 gallon increments. Please visit for detailed water rate information.
Despite upgrades, Richmond’s sewer system has been unable to conform to tightening federal standards for sewage management. In September 2007, the City Council passed a resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of up to $4 million in bonds to fund a new sewage treatment plant. The city hopes to begin construction on the new treatment facilityin 2008.
Solid Waste Collection
Richmond, through a county-wide interlocal agreement, contracts with Logan City for garbage and recycling collection. In FY2007, Richmond paid Logan City $161,011[i] for sanitation services. Waste is collected every Friday; recycling is collected every other Friday. To ensure collection, the city advises residents to have cans out by 7:00 AM and to place them 2-4 ft. apart.
Contact Info:
Logan City Environmental Department
Phone: 716-9755
e-mail: environmental.loganutah.org
Public Works
Public works account for the largest portion of General Fund expenditures. The city employs a small crew that is responsible for the upkeep of city infrastructure, including the following vital services:
Plowing roads
Maintaining and repairing city utilities
Filling potholes
Maintaining parks
Parks
Richmond City Recreation Park is home of Black and White days. In addition to expenditures from the city’s General Fund, many of the improvements to the park are made possible through Eagle Scout projects and grants from the county or state.
Recreation
The Cub River Sports Complex, a joint project of Lewiston and Richmond, provides multiple baseball diamonds and soccer fields for recreational use.
Address:
200 E 11600 N
Lewiston, UT 84320-2205
Cemetery
Maintenance for Richmond’s cemetery is funded by property taxes collected from the Richmond Cemetery Maintenance District. The district’s current tax rate of .000117[ii] is quite low. In FY2007, the cemetery received $13,923 in property tax revenue and $12,625 in burial fees and plot purchases. The cemetery district is an independent political entity since it involves areas outside of the Richmond City Limits.
Library
The Richmond City Library is still housed in the original Carnegie Library building, built in 1914. The library is funded by a combination of contributions, grants and other city revenues. In addition to its book collection, the library provides public computers, interlibrary loan, children’s story hour, library lecture series, and copier fax services.
Library Director: Juliene Parrish
Phone: 435-258-5525
E-mail:
Public Safety
Law enforcement is contracted with the Cache County Sheriff’s Office. The city provides a sub-station facility for deputies patrolling the north end of the county.
The Fire Department (including EMTs) is staffed entirely by volunteers. The city is recruiting more volunteers for these departments. The city pays for all training and turnout gear and offers a modest reimbursement for training drill attendance and emergency response. Interested volunteers should contact Bob Hugo, Fire Chief, or Nick Sanders, EMT president.
By contracting out police services, utilizing grants, and maintaining an all volunteer fire department, Richmond is able to keep public safety expenses low. In FY2007, Richmond public safety expenditures were $60 per capita.
Financial Information
Fund Structure
The General Fund is the main accounting component for the city’s day-to-day-business. The Capital Projects Fund provides for the acquisition and development of large projects and the purchase of equipment for the city. Enterprise Funds are used for fee-based city services. This section will focus on the General Fund because it is the primary account for most services and is funded chiefly by sales taxes.
Sales taxes are the largest source of revenue for Richmond City, accounting for 55% of total tax revenues and 23% of General Fund revenues. Sales and Property taxes help fund services and programs vital to the citizens of Richmond. Charges for services are relatively modest, as the city contracts out to Cache County or Logan City for many services. Solid waste collection accounted for approximately three quarters of service fees charged. Intergovernmental funds comprise the next largest portion of general fund revenues, with state funding for street and road improvements making up the bulk of intergovernmental revenue.
Streets and public improvements are the largest component of governmental spending, accounting for 48% of outlays. This money is used to fund the general maintenance and upkeep of the city -- particularly plowing roads, fixing potholes, and repairing city infrastructure. 16% of expenditures were for public safety dedicated mostly to funding police operations. General government outlays were used to fund city administrative operations. Salaries and wages made up nearly three-quarters[iii] of general government expenditures.
Tax Rates
2007 Property Tax Rate[iv]: .001043
This property tax rate is for funds that go directly to the municipalities’ General Fund only. The property tax rate for Richmond City is relatively low, coming slightly under the average rate of 0.001436[v] for similarly sized Utah cities.
Property Tax Revenue: $103,631 / Prop. Tax Revenue Per Capita: $45To prevent tax increases resulting from inflation of property values, Utah law does not allow cities to collect more property taxes on existing properties than it did the previous year without a public hearing and tax increase. As individual property values increase, the approved property tax rate will decrease accordingly, so property taxes collected will be even with the previous year. The downward trend of tax rates for Richmond is explained by rising property values from 2003-2007. For more information regarding property taxes, see Appendix C.
Sample breakdown of property taxes paid[vi] for estimated median home value(131,600[vii])
Richmond’s General Fund will receive only 11% of all property taxes levied on a home in Richmond. The Cache County School District receives the bulk of property taxes levied. In 2007, school districts will receive 56.2% of all property taxes collected in Utah [viii].The school district share for Richmond is substantially higher, due to a low property tax rate , small number of special district tax obligations, and Cache County School District’s above average tax rate.
2007 Sales Tax Rate: 6.25%[ix]
Sales Tax Revenue: $249,489 / Sales Tax Revenue Per Capita: $108Richmond’s sales tax is a composite of Utah state sales and use tax, local sales and use tax, and other optional, earmarked taxes. See appendix D for details regarding each rate component Of the 1% Local Sales tax, Richmond receives .5% for local point of sale revenue. The remaining .5% is redistributed among state municipalities according to population. Effective April 1, 2008 Richmond’s sales tax is 6.55%[x]. The new rate reflects a .05% increase in the Mass Transit Tax and a newly adopted .25% County Option Transit Tax.
Impact Fees
Impact fees are “set-aside” fees collected from new developers causing infrastructure adjustments to the community[xi]. These fees are a way to require new development to pay their actual costs of the real impact on existing city capital facilities. Impact fees can only be used for improvements to the capital facility they were collected for. Richmond collects water and sewer impact fees. Water impact fees vary, depending on the size of the line:
Water / Sewer / Park / Street / Total$4,258-$22,695 / $5,500 / $0 / $0 / Varies
Municipal Service Value Metrics
Cost of Municipal Government
Per Dollar: 4.1 cents[xii] / State Municipal Avg: 6.1 cents[xiii] / Nat'l Municipal Avg: 6.5 cents[xiv]The estimated price of government for Richmond is low compared to state and national historical averages . This is due to modest service commitments and relatively low property tax rates. The cost of government may be slightly higher than similarly sized cities in Cache Valley, but Richmond’s relative isolation requires it to provide more services. There is no “ideal” price of government; service adequacy and necessity matter more than a simple cost analysis. But, citizen’s of Richmond should feel they are getting a better than average “bang for their buck” from their municipal government.
City Priorities[xv]
Water, sewer and street maintenance are vital services of municipal government and it is no surprise they are city priorities for Richmond.
Priority One
Wastewater Treatment: Richmond is currently addressing wastewater management with the construction of a new sewer treatment facility system. The city has authorized the issuance of over $4 million in bonds to fund the system. The sewer will employ a sophisticated bio-reactive membrane system that will reduce costs by recycling treated wastewater into a source of potentialirrigation water.
Priority Two
Water Storage: Like most communities, adequate water services will be vital to Richmond’s future growth, making improvements to Richmond’s water storage infrastructure key.
Priority Three
Key Street Re-Surfacing: The upkeep of roads will also be a priority. Utah’s unpredictable, harsh winters damage road infrastructure and strain public works budgets. For this reason, streets and public improvements will likely remain the largest portion of General Fund outlays.
Summary
Financially, Richmond is an efficient model for a relatively isolated small city government. The majority of outlays are dedicated to providing services that are fundamental to why communities choose to incorporate: providing water and sewer services, plowing streets and maintaining parks and other city assets. These services are provided with relatively low overhead, as government operations account for only 15% of total outlays. This figure remains low because many city officials, including the City Council, do not take a salary.
[i] Survey of Local Government Finances-Utah Municipalities (Richmond City) Fiscal Year Ended June, 30 2007
[ii] Source: Utah State Tax Commission-Property Tax Commission. Richmond Cemetery Maintenance (entity#4070; approved rate .000117)
[iii] Source: Survey of Local Government Finances-Utah Municipalities (Richmond City) Fiscal Year Ended June, 30 2007
[iv] Source: Utah State Tax Commission-Property Tax Division
[v] Source: Utah Taxpayers Association 2007 Property Tax Report (calculations based on Utah Tax Commission data)
[vi] Source: Utah State Tax Commission-Property Tax Commission. 2007 Approved Property Tax Rates and Budgets. Entities and Rates Used: Richmond City General Operations (entity#3150; approved rate .001043), Sum of Cache County Rates (entity# 1010; Approved Rate .002237), Cache County School District (entity#2020; approved rate .006260), Richmond Cemetery Maintenance (entity#4070; approved rate .000117), Cache County Mosquito Abatement District (entity#4090 ; approved rate .000079).
[vii] Source: On Board Real Estate Info LLC (price is for the year 2005)
[viii] Source: Utah Taxpayers Association 2007 Property Tax Report (calculations based on Utah Tax Commission data)
[ix]Source: Utah Code Title 59, Chapter 12. Sales and Use Tax Act. Codes included: ST, LS, MT, CZ, CO
[x] Source: Utah Code Title 59, Chapter 12. Sales and Use Tax Act. Codes included: ST, LS, MT, CZ, CO, CT
[xi]ULCT Publication “A Handbook for Utah’s Municipal Officials 13th ed.
[xii] Derived by dividing the total city revenues(less intergovernmental transfers)/community income (aggregate personal income)
[xiii] Source: Utah League of Cities and Towns
[xiv] Source Utah League of Cities and Towns
[xv] Source: Interview with Richmond City Manager Marlowe Adkins