Nearly 300 families who rely on the four child care facilities funded by Salt Lake County will have to find new means for day care by the middle of next year.

The Salt Lake County Council voted 8-1 in favor of the 2026 budget, which includes a property tax increase of about 14% — modified from the initially proposed 19.6% hike.

The County Council said it made about $12.4 million in budget cuts across the county to reduce the property tax increase.

The final 2026 budget vote comes with other impacts that have parents like Jessica Earl, of Millcreek, now trying to figure out child care options for her son, as the child care services will end after May 31, 2026.

Earl’s 2-year-old son attends the day care program at the Millcreek Activity Center. The subsidized child care service is also

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