Property tax notices — a shock in the mail

Shadow Mountain Lane has two problems that create high taxes. First, residents pay to an especially long list of local governments. Second, many of those governments charge among the highest taxes for agencies of their kind.

Residents on that lane pay to eight local governments: Weber County, Ogden city, Ogden School District, three water/sewer districts, a mosquito abatement district and the Weber Area Dispatch 911 district. They also pay a special Ogden levy to help purchase additional water supplies.

In comparison, the lowest-taxed area of the state in Rich County is taxed by only two governments, Rich County and the Rich County School District.

Unfortunately for Shadow Mountain Lane, Ogden has the second-highest tax rate among large cities; Ogden School District has the third-highest rate among the state's 40 school districts; and Weber County has the sixth-highest tax rates among the state's 29 county governments.

Because of crisscrossing boundaries of the state's 513 local governments, the state has more than 1,200 "tax areas" with different rates. That also means that taxes can vary — sometimes greatly — within the same city or community because of how many governments charge taxes in different areas.

But taxes generally are the highest in Ogden. Of the 10 highest property tax rates in the state, six are found among Ogden tax areas (covering most of the city). Other areas in the Top 10 are in Blanding, Monticello, Eureka and East Carbon.

Conversely, Rich County has most of the lowest-taxed areas. In fact, the seven lowest rates in the state are found in tax areas there.

The budget pie

Most of the state's property tax — 56 percent — goes to Utah's schools. The 40 school districts expect to collect $1.04 billion in property tax. Jordan School District in Salt Lake County will reap the most, $184.9 million. Collecting the least is Tintic School District in Juab County, $219,974.

The next biggest piece of the property tax pie — 18 percent — goes to Utah's 29 county governments. Salt Lake County will collect the most, $138.7 million. Piute County will collect the least, $265,665.

Cities and towns in Utah will collect 14 percent of the overall property taxes. Salt Lake City will collect the most, $68.4 million. Tiny Ophir, in Tooele County, with a population of just 23, will collect the least, $423.