Posted on 12/03/2002 9:20:26 AM PST by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
FARMINGTON [Utah]-- Davis County Commissioners did not hear all of the concerns of the people who attended Monday's truth-in-taxation budget hearing at the Davis County Courthouse.
And that might have been a good thing, given that most of the people who filled the courthouse's four overflow rooms regularly shouted insults at the projected images of the three commissioners, Dannie McConÂkie, Carol Page and Michael Cragun, as they listened to comments from residents concerned about the county's proposed 138 percent jump in property taxes.
"Give yourself a pay cut" and "Vote the bastards out" were common refrains.
It wasn't long into the three-hour proceeding that chants of "No more taxes!" arose in the hallways.
The dissidents saw a conspiracy around every corner for how the all-Republican commission has handled the tax increase -- a hike that would more than double the county's portion of property taxes from $110.09 to $262.32 on an average home with a market value of $163,000.
"Why aren't you holding this in a high school or a facility where people could come together for a genuine public discussion?" chastised Bountiful resident Richard Reid.
"Why are you having this meeting at dinner time on the night of Family Home Evening?" said Farmington resident Tom Owens. He noted that Davis County is one of the most Republican counties of the most Republican states, and a place where many residents hold to the LDS Church practice of spending time with family Monday evenings. "People feel you've really tried to sneak one by them."
Commissioners will finalize the budget at a special commission meeting at 10 a.m. Dec. 16. The trio had planned to do it at the regular Tuesday meeting Dec. 17, but had to move it to Monday to comply with a state law that says the budget must be adopted within two weeks of the public hearing.
As for the notion that commissioners were hoping for a low turnout on a Monday night when many people would plan to adhere to religious leaders' requests, commissioners simply said that state law requires that these types of hearings not conflict with other municipal budgetary processes.
That brought up another sore subject: that commissioners waited to deliver the bad news until after the Nov. 5 election, in which two of them strode to the winner's circle with little or no opposition.
Commissioners, who hinted of a tax hike before the election, did not answer that query publicly. But in the past, Davis County Clerk-Auditor Steve Rawlings said that the tax increase would be so significant that it would be "irresponsible to talk about the number until we have it nailed down."
Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, called the tax increase egregious.
"I am embarrassed to be in the same party with the three Republican commissioners because they should know better," he said at a Utah Taxpayers news conference held in Farmington on Monday, which happened to coincide with the state deadline for property tax to be paid.
Cragun, the junior member of the commission, had the unenviable task of outlining the proposed 2003 budget at the hearing.
Nearly $80 of every $152 in new taxes will go to construction and operation of a new, $25 million jail, Cragun said.
The capacity of the barely decade-old county facility will increase from 400 to nearly 800. In addition to the jail expansion, the biggest segments of the $110 million budget call for 40 new vehicles for the Davis County Sheriff's Office fleet, 31 new county employees and an upgrade for the county's computer systems.
But Cragun did not rule out tweaking the budget more.
"We adopted a $116 million tentative budget, and it's down to $110 million today," he said.
Not for long unless the county wants to see their new car fleet pelted with rocks and bottles.
These guys pay about 25% of the normal tax load for property in Utah, with the changes they are coming up to 55% of the normal tax load.
I'm a few miles away and for me a $170,000 house commands about $800 a year in taxes.
Cheers.
OMG! Living in tax hell Wisconsin, that's beyond dirt cheap. You'd be paying $3000-$4000 a year (at least) in the Dairy State.
Sounds like you are having a crime wave there in the land of Brigham Young. :-)
That (the increase) may sound high in Utah but compared to most of the rest of the country you guys still have it cheap.
In Texas, you are talking about $6000-$7000, if not more. The rule here is that your monthly tax payment will be 50% of your principle and interest.
Until we built our new jail, this county was shelling out around $2 mil a year to house the inmates at other jails.
All those counties who thought they would get rich by building huge jail facilities to lock up those dangerous pot smokers, deadbeat dad's, parking scoflaws, and check kiters should be forced to be housed in them instead of running them.
Who will fill these new jail cells? Non-violent drug offenders, perchance?
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