Snyderville Basin Cemetery District board members presented a report Wednesday to the Summit County Council about its intent to levy a property tax in 2025 to carry out its duties.The tax would generate $495,000 to establish and operate public burial grounds in the unincorporated area. The annual tax would be $25.70 for a primary residence with an average assessed value of $2,032,000 and $46.74 for a business with the same assessed value.The cemetery district does not currently levy any property taxes.With Park City Cemetery restrictions preventing most people who live outside city limits from being laid to rest there, Snyderville Basin residents voted in 2012 to create the district. The effort stalled until last year, when the Summit County Council voted to appoint board members.The district envisions the future cemetery as a beautiful memorial park that incorporates burial places within the natural environment.“It is a peaceful retreat that offers our citizens and guests opportunities for community gatherings, public art, and passive recreation, while serving as a place of respectful visitation to honor and memorialize the citizens that lived here and helped make our community great,” the district’s vision statement says.As part of the Truth in Taxation process, all five cemetery district board members — Pete Gillwald, Max Greenhalgh, William Oshinsky, Will Seggos and Daniel Whitehurst — attended Wednesday’s meeting to present the report.In the past year, the board has established goals, surveyed community members, attended cemetery conferences, visited several cemeteries, evaluated a variety of potential sites and conducted geotechnical evaluations of the preferred locations, according to the report.The site selection process started with a look at county-owned parcels to avoid having to buy land on the private market, Gillwald said.The board’s preferred choice is a parcel on the side of Olympic Parkway that is jointly owned by Basin Recreation and Summit County. A 10-acre portion within that parcel would be used for the cemetery.The site was chosen because a cemetery already is an allowed use there, is free to taxpayers, is easily accessible and offers a tranquil location, the board report says. The plan is to create a cemetery harmonious with the natural environment, which could include burial sites within existing terrain and vegetation, low lying headstones and meandering trails, among other elements.Councilors visited the site Wednesday before the meeting.Potential elements could include pavilions, gazebos and trails, Gillwald said. He estimated there will be 25 to 30 interments a year at the cemetery.Greenhalgh said depending on how things go, the Snyderville cemetery could be ready as early as fall 2025. He noted the Park City cemetery is almost full.“It’s very plausible that this cemetery will end up being the greater Park City-area cemetery,” Greenhalgh said.Councilor Chris Robinson said he is in favor of going forward with the “modest levy” to create a funding source.“I do believe it’s a huge need for everybody in the Basin, including Park City,” he said.Under the Truth in Taxation process, the Summit County Council will hold a public hearing on Nov. 13 and then decide whether to approve a tax increase.If the councilors vote in favor of an increase, the cemetery district board will hold a public hearing on Dec. 5 on its 2025 budget. The board can set a budget up to the amount of revenue approved by the County Council.Public input will be taken at the Nov. 13 and Dec. 5 hearings.The post Snyderville Basin Cemetery District aims to levy property tax appeared first on Park Record.