Utah Civic GuideSalt Lake County · Utah · nonpartisan
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City

Ernest Burgess

City Council, Taylorsville · District 1

OfficeCity Council, TaylorsvilleDistrictDistrict 1PartyNonpartisan officeTerm endsJan 2028Next electionNov 2, 2027RaisedNot yet verifiedServing sinceby 2018

At a glance

  • Represents Council District 1; on the council since at least 2018.
  • Won 2023 with 64.7% over Dennis Sanok; won 2019 with 63.6%.
  • Liaison to the Arts Council and Green Committee.
  • Campaign-finance totals not yet retrieved (a listed gap).
  • Seat is up Nov 2, 2027; filing Jun 1–7, 2027.
Open compare
Analytical assessment, not factLow confidence
Overall
FiscalLean conservative
Social
Very liberalModerateVery conservative

Insufficient evidence. The best guess is moderate.

Evidence behind this assessment
  • June 5, 2024 meeting: he said he preferred about a 10% annual increase over the proposed 25% one-time increase, and he questioned police staffing levels (minutes). He voted Yes on that day's budget (4-1).
  • Aug 21, 2024: voted Yes on the 25.05% rate (minutes).
  • 2026 rate increase: seconded the 5.02% rate, Res. 26-21 (minutes).
  • No candidate questionnaire: the Tribune's 2023 guide records "No response" (Tribune).
  • X: no account or substantive public posts found.
  • Contributors: his finance reports were not retrieved.

Rating method

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Full details below are grouped by area. Facts link to public sources; "[COMPUTED]" marks derived dates.

Votes & record

Source: approved Taylorsville City Council minutes posted on the Utah Public Notice Website, body 720. The text-searchable minutes cover June 2024 through Sept 2026.

Pattern: in every text-searchable set of minutes from June 2024 to Sept 2026, the only non-unanimous council vote was June 5, 2024. That vote was Resolution 24-12 (FY2024-25 budget), which passed 4-1 with Council Member Knudsen voting No (minutes). Every other recorded vote reviewed was unanimous among the members present.

Date Item Result Source
Jun 5, 2024 Res. 24-12, FY2024-25 budgetWhat it does: Official item text: Res. 24-12, FY2024-25 budget. A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Passed 4-1 (Knudsen No) minutes
Aug 21, 2024 Res. 24-20, property-tax rate 0.000851 (25.05% revenue increase, about $928,881)What it does: Official item text: Res. 24-20, property-tax rate 0.000851 (25.05% revenue increase, about $928,881). A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Passed 5-0 (Harker moved, Barbieri seconded) minutes, resolution
Aug 21, 2024 Res. 24-21, final FY2024-25 budget (park Phase 2 $6M, streetlights, canal trails, bridge, roads)What it does: Official item text: Res. 24-21, final FY2024-25 budget (park Phase 2 $6M, streetlights, canal trails, bridge, roads). A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Passed 5-0 minutes
Jun 4, 2025 Ord. 25-06, General Plan comprehensive revisionWhat it does: Official item text: Ord. 25-06, General Plan comprehensive revision. This vote decided whether to set the item aside for now. A Yea vote supported setting it aside. council minutes Tabled 5-0 (Knudsen moved) minutes
Dec 17, 2025 Ords. 25-12 to 25-14, Summit Vista "Motion" rezoneWhat it does: Official item text: Ords. 25-12 to 25-14, Summit Vista "Motion" rezone. A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Tally not retrieved notice
May 6, 2026 Res. 26-07 and 26-08, intent to exceed the certified tax rateWhat it does: Would state the city's intent to set a property-tax rate above the certified tax rate. A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Passed 5-0 minutes, agenda
May 6, 2026 Res. 26-12, renewal of the order-to-disperse / gang-loitering zone for Taylorsville DayzzWhat it does: Would renew the order-to-disperse / gang-loitering zone for Taylorsville Dayzz. A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Passed 5-0 minutes
Jun 3, 2026 Res. 26-16, FY2026-27 budget (wall project removed by amendment)What it does: Would adopt the city's FY2026-27 budget. A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Passed 5-0 minutes
Jun 17, 2026 Res. 26-18 and 26-19What it does: Would act on the numbered items named here; the record lists them only by number, so see the linked minutes for details. A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Passed 4-0 (Harker absent) minutes
Aug 12, 2026 Res. 26-21, final rate 0.000860, up from certified 0.000819 (5.02% increase, about $234,800 a year, about $11.23 a year on a $498,000 home, for public works and roads)What it does: Would set the city's final property-tax rate at 0.000860, above the certified rate of 0.000819, for public works and roads. A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Passed 5-0 (Harker moved, Burgess seconded) minutes, notice
Aug 12, 2026 Res. 26-22, final FY2026-27 budgetWhat it does: Official item text: Res. 26-22, final FY2026-27 budget. A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Passed 5-0 (Barbieri moved) minutes
Sep 2, 2026 Ord. 26-08, Summit Vista height/setback text amendment (Planning Commission had recommended denial)What it does: Would allow a height and setback text amendment for Summit Vista. A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Passed 5-0 (Barbieri moved) minutes
Sep 2, 2026 Res. 26-23, Summit Vista development agreement; Res. 26-24 (surplus); Res. 26-25 (JAG grant)What it does: Would approve the Summit Vista development agreement and accept a surplus and a JAG grant. A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Each passed 5-0 minutes
Sep 16, 2026 Ords. 26-10 to 26-13, "Solstice at 54th" (Edge Homes Utah; 16.5 acres at 3855 W 5400 S; about 19 units/acre; at least 80% owner-occupied; 30 affordable units; contingent on the property closing)What it does: Would allow a development of about 19 units per acre on 16.5 acres of land at 3855 W 5400 S. A Yea vote supported doing that. council minutes Each passed 5-0 (Barbieri, Burgess, Cochran, and Harker each moved one) minutes

His role in the record above:

  • Seconded Res. 26-21, the 2026 rate increase.
  • Moved one of the Solstice at 54th ordinances.
  • Voted Yes on each recorded tax and budget item in the minutes reviewed.
  • Comments on June 5, 2024 are noted under Stated affiliation.
Campaign finance

Municipal candidates file with the Taylorsville City Recorder (Utah Code 10-3-208). City Code 2.36.030 caps contributions at $1,500 per election cycle for council candidates (2025 report form, via the candidate statements index).

  • His 2023 candidate reports (pre-general and post-general) were not retrieved. No archived copy of the 2023 index page was available, and taylorsvilleut.gov blocks automated access.
  • Headline: no campaign-finance figures could be verified. This is a gap.
Disclosures
  • 2026 Conflict of Interest Disclosure, signed Feb 2, 2026 and received Feb 2, 2026 (doc 11528):
    • Employers: Taylorsville City (councilman); Granite School District (substitute teacher).
    • Business interests: none listed.
    • Timing: the statutory window is Jan 1–31. Jan 31, 2026 was a Saturday, and the form was received on the next business day. This is noted for completeness; no determination of lateness is made.
  • 2025 COI disclosure: on file (doc 10228). The full form was not reviewed.
Election history
Year Office Result Source
2019 Council D1 Won (incumbent): 1,044 (63.62%) vs. Lisa Gehrke, 597 SLCo 2019
2023 Council D1 Won: 1,070 (64.73%) vs. Dennis Sanok, 583 SLCo 2023
earlier Council D1 Not verified -
Lobbying & ethics
  • No lobbyist ties found in the public records reviewed.
  • No ethics complaint found in PSERC materials reviewed.
Office & term
  • Office: Taylorsville City Council, District 1 (nonpartisan). Listed as "Ernest Glen Burgess" on ballots. (city council page, archived Jul 8, 2026; SLCo 2023 results)
  • Current term: January 2024 through early January 2028. Re-elected Nov 21, 2023 (SLCo 2023 results).
  • Service: He was a sitting council member by December 2018 and ran as the incumbent in 2019 (SLCo 2019 results). His first election year was not verified (possibly 2015).
  • Committee liaison assignments: Arts Council; Green Committee (council page).
  • Next election for this seat: Nov 2, 2027 [COMPUTED].
Stated affiliation
  • Party: The office is nonpartisan, so no party label appears on the ballot. No publicly documented party registration was found.
  • Self-description: No candidate questionnaire response was found. The Salt Lake Tribune's 2023 voter guide records "No response" for him (Tribune, Nov 4, 2023).
  • Stated positions in public meetings: On June 5, 2024, he said he preferred about a 10% annual tax increase over the proposed 25% one-time increase and questioned police staffing levels (minutes). He later voted for the 25.05% rate on Aug 21, 2024 (minutes).
  • Endorsements: none found.
Contact (official)
Known gaps

Gaps

  • 2019 and 2023 candidate campaign finance reports, and annual statements. Custodian: City Recorder.
  • First election and year of first taking office.
  • Full 2025 COI form.
  • Approved minutes for Jan–May 2024 are image scans and were not text-searched. Minutes for Aug 20, 2025 and Sept–Dec 2025 were not retrieved, so vote tallies for those meetings, including the Dec 17, 2025 Summit Vista rezone, are unverified. Custodian: Taylorsville City Recorder; also available on PMN.
  • Annual March 1 campaign finance statements required by City Code 2.36.040 were not retrieved. Custodian: City Recorder.
  • lobbyist.utah.gov was not successfully searched.
  • No ethics-complaint records from the city were obtained. Custodian: City Recorder / City Attorney; also the Political Subdivisions Ethics Review Commission.
About this office: Taylorsville City Council member

One of five part-time council members who are Taylorsville's legislative branch: they pass city laws, adopt the budget and set the property tax rate, and oversee (but do not run) city operations.

Role
Legislator for one of five city districts
Hours
Part-time
Pay
$23,029 paid in FY2026; about $23,850 budgeted for FY2027 (estimated), plus partial health and retirement benefits
Typical week
Two Wednesday-evening meetings a month (6:00 p.m. briefing, 6:30 p.m. regular meeting), packet reading, resident calls and emails, community events

Responsibilities and powers

  • Taylorsville uses the council-mayor form of government: the council is the legislative branch, enacting ordinances and adopting the annual budget, while the mayor is the chief executive (Taylorsville 2023 financial report transmittal letter; Utah Code 10-3b-201).
  • Under state law the council passes ordinances, appropriates funds and reviews municipal administration, and elects one of its members as chair (Utah Code 10-3b-203).
  • Limits: council members may not direct hiring or firing (except in writing), interfere with an executive officer's duties, or give orders to the mayor's staff. A member may not hold any other paid job with the city (10-3b-203).
  • Checks on the mayor: the mayor's key appointments (city administrator, recorder, treasurer, engineer, attorney) need the council's advice and consent (10-3b-202). The council can override a mayoral veto of an ordinance, tax levy or appropriation with two-thirds of all members (10-3b-204).
  • Five members, each elected by district to a four-year, nonpartisan term; terms are staggered (Districts 1–3 next on the ballot Nov 2, 2027 [COMPUTED]; Districts 4–5 in 2029). Candidates must live in their district (Utah Code 20A-9-203).
  • Each member files a conflict-of-interest disclosure under Utah Code 10-3-1306.

A typical week

  • Meetings: the council "will typically hold its City Council meetings ... on the first and third Wednesdays of each month," with a briefing session at 6:00 p.m. followed by the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers (Room 140), 2600 W Taylorsville Blvd (2026 meeting schedule notice). That is about 24 regular meetings a year, plus occasional special meetings.
  • What a meeting looks like: minutes show the mayor, city administrator, city recorder, police chief, city attorney and a Unified Fire representative attending; the briefing reviews the agenda, and the regular meeting covers citizen comment, ordinances, resolutions and contracts (Feb 4, 2026 minutes; Jun 17, 2026 minutes). Agendas and packets are posted on the Utah Public Notice Website (body 720).
  • Between meetings [INFERRED]: reading agenda packets, answering district residents' calls and emails, meeting with staff for briefings, and attending city events and community council meetings.
  • Seasonal cycle: Taylorsville's fiscal year runs July–June. Budget work peaks in May–June (tentative budget, then adoption). In 2026 the council considered a 5% property tax increase on June 17 (Resolution 26-18) (Jun 17, 2026 minutes) and adopted the final FY2026-27 budget on Aug 12, 2026 after the truth-in-taxation process (Res. 26-21, utah.gov/pmn/files/1467231.pdf).

Time commitment

  • Part-time. Roughly 10–20 hours a week [INFERRED: two evening meetings a month of about one to three hours, plus packet preparation, constituent contact and events; heavier in budget season]. Most members hold other jobs.

Staff and budget

  • Council members have no personal staff; the City Recorder's office supports the council [INFERRED from meeting minutes listing the recorder as council staff].
  • City Council department budget: $206,576 requested for FY2027 (council salaries $119,233, benefits $33,843, plus the city's annual audit, $38,000) (Taylorsville FY27 budget).
  • The council oversees a General Fund of about $35.5 million (FY2027 requested), the largest piece being Police at $15.3 million (same source).

Pay

  • $23,029 paid in FY2026 (Transparent Utah, Harker and Burgess). The FY2027 budget of $119,233 for five seats works out to about $23,850 each (estimated).
  • City code §2.14.040 sets council pay and ties raises to staff general raises. The city also pays half the cheapest single health premium (or that amount to retirement), retirement and life insurance, and reimburses internet and IRS-rate mileage. Benefits paid in FY2026 were about $6,450–$7,110 per member.

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