Brett A. Hales
Mayor, Murray
Office held
| Mayor | Murray | Source |
Finance and management
Brett A. Hales built his professional career at Cyprus Credit Union, where he worked for 30 years and advanced to vice president before retiring in 2005. Murray’s biography identifies a finance qualification from the CUNA Management School. He grew up in Magna and graduated from Cyprus High School, later establishing his family home in Murray. [1]
From council to mayor
Before becoming mayor, Hales represented District 5 on the Murray City Council for ten years. He took the mayoral oath on January 4, 2022. His official biography describes a service-oriented approach to the office, placing emphasis on decisions he believes benefit Murray. His council experience preceded his responsibility for the city’s executive administration. [1]
Stated priorities
In his city-published 2025 candidate statement, Hales identifies public safety, essential services and fiscal responsibility as the central aims of his leadership. He says his business and finance experience informs management and resource decisions. He also emphasizes listening to residents with differing views and delivering community projects while maintaining the city’s financial position. These are his campaign statements about his record and approach. [2]
A documented budget proposal
Murray’s April 21, 2026 council agenda schedules Hales’s fiscal year 2026–2027 budget address and formally identifies a proposed property-tax increase in the mayor’s tentative budget. It also schedules consideration of referring the proposal to the council’s Budget and Finance Committee for review. This record adds current context to his earlier campaign emphasis on keeping taxes low: the 2026 proposal involved a tax increase subject to the city’s budget process. [3]
Profile sources
In the news
- Politics
Murray's 2026-27 property tax increase: the rate, the estimate and where the money goes
Murray raised its General Fund property tax rate from 0.001370 to 0.001448 for 2026-27. The city estimated the increase would bring in $714,297, split between police and fire pay and staffing, and cost the owner of a $614,000 home about $26.46 a year.