Levy for $250,000 home varies across the state

Blanding is in the heart of Utah's scenic canyonlands country. Bear Lake, far away on the Idaho border, is known for its crystal blue water. But people who live in each beautiful area see a difference in property taxes that is not so pretty.

Blanding bears the highest property taxes in the state this year — $2,305 on a $250,000 home, according to a Deseret News analysis of Utah Tax Commission data.

Unincorporated Rich County near Bear Lake has the lowest — $640 on the same-value home. That is a difference of $1,665 in taxes on the same-value home between the highest- and lowest-taxed areas in the state.

"I'm not surprised we have the highest taxes," said Blanding Mayor Toni Turk. But he said it is not the fault of the city, which actually lowered taxes this year. He said challenges faced by the San Juan School District cause most of the high taxes in the area.

"I used to work for the school district (as its director of federal grants). I am aware of the fact that it operates 13 schools in an area of 8,400 square miles with a student population under 3,000. The high school tax is, in my opinion, a matter of the logistics, the distance and travel that is very atypical for the state," he said.

The Deseret News analyzed property taxes being charged this year throughout the state to allow readers to compare their own taxes with the highest and lowest areas. Property taxes are due Nov. 30, and tax notices were mailed in recent weeks.

Because of crisscrossing boundaries of hundreds of local governments in Utah, the state has 1,249 different "tax areas." Each has a different mix of governments among counties, cities, school districts and special districts for water, sewer, fire protection, libraries, cemeteries, mosquito abatement, recreation and more.

But residents in unincorporated Rich County near Bear Lake pay taxes only to two governments — Rich County and the Rich County School District — and both have among the lowest taxes for governments of their type. So the area has the lowest taxes in the state overall.

In fact, Rich County overall boasts having six of the 10 tax areas with the lowest property taxes in the state. Laketown is No. 2 lowest, unincorporated areas in the Garden City-Pickleville cemetery and fire districts are No. 3, Garden City is No. 4, Randolph is No. 6 and Woodruff is No. 8. Taxes in the county range from $640 to $751 on a $250,000 home.

Rich County Commissioner William Cox said tax rates are so low there, in part, "because over the last 10 years, new growth has provided income to our county that other counties have had to provide by raising taxes."