Some homeowners will pay more property taxes to the Tooele County School District this year.
The district’s school board voted unanimously Tuesday night not to change their tax rate despite a drop in the certified tax rate for 2015. The board’s vote came during a truth in taxation hearing.
“This is the third year in a row that we have had the same tax rate and the second time since adopting our 10-year plan in 2014 that we have held a truth in taxation hearing to keep our tax rate at .009593,” said Lark Reynolds, Tooele County School District business administrator.
Five people spoke during the required hearing on the tax rate. Four opposed keeping the current property tax rate — a tax increase according to Utah’s truth in taxation laws. One speaker reluctantly supported the higher-than-certified tax rate.
“How much is enough?” said Bill Dixon. “I’m on a fixed income. I’m tired of all these increases. It’s getting to be too much.”
Stansbury resident Wade Hadlock spoke in support of the higher tax rate.
“I’m not against a higher rate,” he said. “I don’t like an increase, but we need new schools. I want to see that need met. If it goes to enough buildings then I can support it.”
The district’s 10-year plan calls for keeping the tax rate flat despite fluctuations in the certified rate so the district can capture the additional property tax to build up its capital fund to meet expenses of new buildings and maintaining existing facilities, explained Reynolds.
The certified property tax rate is the rate that would result in the school district receiving the same amount of tax dollars, except for taxes on property or improvements new to the tax rolls, as it did the previous year.
The school board will keep its 2014 property tax rate of .009593 for 2015 instead of dropping it to the 2015 certified rate of .009058.
This means the property tax bill of a home in Tooele County with the average $170,000 value will be $50 higher for the school district than it would have been had the district adopted the lower certified rate for 2015.
It also means property owners whose assessed value did not change from 2014 or went down in 2015 will pay the same or less property tax to the school district in 2015 than they did in 2014.
As a result of keeping the tax rate at .009593 the district will collect $1.8 million more in property tax than it would have collected at the certified rate.
Keeping the tax rate level is consistent with the district’s pledge during last year’s bond election campaign to not raise the property tax rate for schools, Reynolds said.
Property taxpayers will see the effects of the school district’s tax rate in their November 2015 tax bill.