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South Salt Lake mayor proposes 31% tax increase to raise pay for firefighters, police

South Salt Lake homeowners may see an additional $71 per year on their future property tax bill u2015 a 31% increase u2015 under a budget proposal Mayor Cherie Wood made to the City Council on Wednesday.

The city hasn’t raised its property taxes in more than a decade but is considering the move as a way to fund a 15% wage increase for its firefighters and police officers, who say their pay is among the lowest across the Wasatch Front and are losing experienced officers as a result.

“I feel that the mayor is right in line or rather right on target with her proposal,” Matthew Oehler, president of South Salt Lake Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 15, told The Salt Lake Tribune on Thursday.