Auditing Kearns
The Ledger's review of Kearns's budgets, audits, debt and redevelopment money.
The full audit section: stories by subject, key figures and records →
Background
Auditing Kearns: how the newest city's money is budgeted, reported and audited
Kearns became a city in 2024 but still keeps its books inside the Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, whose audit reports Kearns as a component unit. This series follows the records: the adopted FY2027 budget, the year-end reserve reports, the district audit and the council's new spending decisions.
Read the explainer →Latest update · October 16, 2026
Kearns's $4.2 million year-end snapshot includes restricted road money
Unaudited year-end reports show Kearns's main-fund unassigned balance fell to $1.2 million in fiscal 2026 while its council-designated fund rose to $1.9 million. The $4.2 million total presented to the council includes $825,000 restricted for corridor preservation.
Timeline
- Kearns's $4.2 million year-end snapshot includes restricted road money
- Service district's draft audit added $27.6 million in unrecorded Kearns assets
- Kearns approved a police traffic-car deal whose draft left the yearly amount blank
- Kearns raised its first administrator's pay ceiling to $225,000 after budgeting $180,000
Latest updates
- Politics
Kearns's $4.2 million year-end snapshot includes restricted road money
Unaudited year-end reports show Kearns's main-fund unassigned balance fell to $1.2 million in fiscal 2026 while its council-designated fund rose to $1.9 million. The $4.2 million total presented to the council includes $825,000 restricted for corridor preservation.
- Politics
Service district's draft audit added $27.6 million in unrecorded Kearns assets
The posted draft of the Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District's FY2025 audit reports a material weakness: capital assets had not been recorded. Correcting it raised Kearns's opening net position by $27,629,358. The draft also says fee-related spending was not tracked by activity.
- Politics
Kearns approved a police traffic-car deal whose draft left the yearly amount blank
The council voted 5–0 in June to approve an interlocal agreement sending $125,000 plus traffic-car money to the Unified Police Department. Both draft agreements in the meeting packet leave the yearly car amount blank.
- Politics
Kearns raised its first administrator's pay ceiling to $225,000 after budgeting $180,000
A July 21 ordinance raised the maximum yearly compensation for Kearns's first city administrator from $180,000 to $225,000 and directed staff to amend the budget. In September the council created the administrator's office in city code.