Residents voice ire over valuations

FARMINGTON — More than 300 people crowded into Farmington Junior High School Thursday mostly to voice disapproval with the increase in property values many residents learned about over the past week when they received valuation notices for this year's property tax bill.

The average home in Davis County saw a 19 percent increase to $210,000. But Bountiful residents, who made up about two-thirds of the attendees Thursday, saw a 30.5 percent average increase.

Combined with increased values, tax increases were approved in 2006 by Davis County and the Davis Mosquito Abatement District. The Davis School District and Weber Basin Water Conservancy District have proposed tax increases this year.

The tax increase for the county portion of the property-tax bill is generating $7 million this year to pay for operations and maintenance of the recently expanded Davis County Jail. It is also paying for upgrades and repairs to the county's flood-control channels and increased services for the county's Division of Senior Services.

But commissioners declined to set the county's tax rate for this year, opting instead to take it under advisement so they can study the rate and its ramifications for two weeks.

"We have our work cut out for us," said Commissioner Alan Hansen, who along with commissioners Bret Millburn and Louenda Downs got an earful during the four-hour hearing.

Residents who addressed commissioners, most of whom were senior citizens on fixed incomes, griped about this year's valuations from the Davis County Assessor's Office.

Various residents said they were hit with a double-whammy, seeing not only an increase in the tax rate, but they are likely to be taxed on a higher value of their property.

They disagreed with the increase in values and the process for valuations, in which at least one-fifth of the county is assessed every year.

Tuesday, the Davis County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of aerial-photography software that will allow the county's assessor, James Ivie, to re-appraise property values every year.

Residents on Thursday were invited to appeal property valuations by Sept. 17 if they disagree with property values.

Bountiful city manager Tom Hardy asked commissioners to roll back assessments to 2006's values. If that's not possible, Hardy said, he recommended that values in other cities be increased so that tax rates could be proportionately decreased.

Taxing entities are only allowed to collect the same amount in tax revenue each year except for new growth or unless the entities hold truth-in-taxation hearings to explain tax increases.