Weber has ideas in hopper to ease the pain of higher property taxes

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Wow, what just happened with my property taxes?

That's the question many Weber County homeowners are asking after getting their tax notices in the mail earlier this month. County commissioners, along with legislators, have received hundreds of calls from citizens, many of whom are just plain angry over the increase in property values in several locations in Weber County.

These calls have several of us, as elected officials, scrambling for answers and possible solutions. It's easy to point fingers and blame state or local county officials for this dilemma. However, that doesn't help answer the question: "What are we going to do about this problem?"

On Tuesday afternoon, the Weber County Commission hosted a brainstorming session with state and local elected officials seeking remedies for the tax increase facing some of our homeowners. Every Weber County member of the House of Representatives, along with several state senators and school board representatives, joined in support with us to map out a plan of attack.

First, it is important to understand a little bit about the valuation process the county assessor must go through every year in determining property values. Our state's Constitution sets forth the requirements concerning assessed value. In Article XIII, Section 2, it states, tangible property shall be "assessed at a uniform rate in proportion to its fair market value," and it will be "taxed at a uniform rate." Fair market value is determined by what the property might sell for on the open market. When someone sells a home or piece of property for thousands more than they bought it for, the new selling price then becomes the market value.

Now remember, Article XIII calls for a uniform rate, which means other homes or properties in the neighborhood will likely increase at much the same rate. Homeowners in the Huntsville area are dealing with this dilemma every time a developer pays a higher price for a piece of land. The framers of our Constitution did not take into account whether or not the property owner wanted to sell the property. The Constitution is clear on establishing market value.

It is also important to understand that not all property values are going up. In fact, many homeowners in Weber County have actually seen a decrease in their valuation and their property taxes this year. This shows that the valuation process really does work, as homes or property in these areas are actually selling for less than they were just a few years ago.

Now let's get back to Article XIII. It calls for all tangible property in Weber County to be taxed at the uniform rate. That certified tax rate is approved each year by the Weber County Commission after several public meetings and public hearings. For the last two years, the commission has lowered the rate as property valuations have increased. This means the only increase in the county's budget has been from new growth, which does not affect current homeowners. In this year's approved budget, the county will see a general fund increase of just over 1 percent. During the same time period, the cost of materials for roads and buildings, as well as energy costs, has increased several times that amount.

Now, what about the plan of attack? In our brainstorming session, we decided that there are some things we might do to help those who have experienced large increases. We have asked several legislators to file bills which would:

* Allow the county to increase the low-income or hardship circuit breaker exemptions for property tax. This would allow many more of our senior citizens on fixed incomes to take advantage of this exemption.

* Another piece of legislation would allow the primary residence exemption to apply to all parcels when their size is required by zoning ordinances. This would benefit homeowners where zoning requires multiple-acre residential lots.

* We are also discussing a reduction in the acreage required to qualify property for agriculture or green belt exemptions. This would benefit those in rural areas, where their land is used mainly for agriculture and farming.

* We also hope to conduct valuations more often to coincide with the setting of the tax rate. This should avoid a large increase in any one calendar year.

Last, but certainly not least, we have an appeal process built into our tax assessment structure. If you believe your home or property has been valued too high, please contact the county assessor, who will guide you through the appeal process. This process really does work, as a large percentage of property valuations appealed result in a lower final evaluation. Paperwork to file this appeal was included with your tax notice. We encourage you to take advantage of this option.

These are just a few ideas we are pursuing, and we will continue looking for more ways to reduce the tax burden of our citizens. As Weber County commissioners, we really do appreciate your calls and concerns. We commit to you that we will be responsive to your suggestions and questions. We feel our system of government demands it, and our people deserve it.

Bischoff, Dearden and Zogmaister are Weber County's elected commissioners.

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