Each year by July 22 the county tax administration office sends a "Notice of Property Valuation & Tax Change" to all owners of real estate who are listed on the assessment roll. The mailing contains details about the appraised market value set by the county assessor, appeals of market value to the board of equalization, tax and proposed tax increase information.
TAX CHANGES & TAX INCREASES
The center of the notice lists all of the "Taxing Entities" that levy a tax against your property and the amount of tax charged in the prior and current year. The tax levied by a taxing entity is dependent on their tax rate and the taxable value of your property. Prior year amounts in "Taxes Last Year" column are independent of the following columns. The following four columns all relate to the current year tax rate and any calculated impact a proposed tax increases may have on your current taxes.
In order to raise their budgeted revenue, a taxing entity can propose a tax rate increase above rates certified by the state. This includes "holding the rate" from a previous year. The net effect is a larger budget for the taxing entity. Taxing entity budget increases are sustained forever, unless the rate is decreased below the certified rate in a future year. If they are increasing your taxes, the law requires a Truth in Taxation Hearing and their public meeting will be listed in the rightmost column titled "PUBLIC TAX INCREASE HEARING". Per UCA 59-2-919(6)(e) the PURPOSE of a truth in taxation hearing is: to hear comments regarding any proposed increase AND to explain the reasons for the proposed increase. This truth in taxation hearing is your only chance to hold public discourse about a tax increase before it is imposed. We strongly recommend attending.
PROPERTY VALUATION
If you disagree with the listed market value and have evidence to prove a different value, you may appeal the value of your property by submitting an appeal to the County Board of Equalization. Documentation and supporting evidence is required to substantiate an appeal of property value. Appeal forms and instructions are available at the following link:
Appealing Property Values - County Board of Equalization