(continued)
We will again see another mass computerized assessment based upon bogus MLS inputs without mature professional adult supervision quality controlling the output (our property assessments).
We must not accept this near total lack of legislative response to our demands for comprehensive tax reform.
As I suspected we are getting some lip service without any real actions ever being proposed at this point. The disease is the “reassessments” and absolutely nothing has been proposed to change the modus operandi (the laws).
So keep your lawn signs in the garage because we will very likely be needing to use them in a major uprising and march on the Governor’s mansion and the Capital chambers in protest and revolt during the next session. They still have not gotten the message clearly enough.
► "Truth in Taxation Amendments" A tiny bit of encouraging news is that at least this proposed legislation tries to require our (electorate) involvement when taxing entities try to raise the tax rate beyond the inflation rate. But the tax rate is not the real culprit. And in fact this proposal actually encourages taxing entities to annually increase our tax rates with no mention of decreasing them during recessions or economic downturns. Only increases upon increases…we seem doomed. However; as we all know Counties have figured out how to actually lower tax rates buy a small percentage and yet gain windfall and overwhelming surplus revenues by grossly over assessing our homes and property. They have done it Statewide yet the legislators don’t seem to understand this
They are either incredulous, ignorant, stupid, complicent, or "Frankly my dear Scarlet, I (they) just don't give a damn."
► "Property Tax - Repeal of Reading Levy" This is a peanuts deal where what was $15 Million, is now $20 Million and appropriated as an ongoing appropriation the $20 Million would be taken from the Uniform School Fund for FY ’08-’09 to the State Board of Education for the K-3 Reading Improvement Program.
► "School District Tax Base" Again this is not a great deal but could be seen as at least a trial balloon. Representative John Dougall, co chair tapped me for a short explanation in the hallway. He said he was proposing a 50% reduction of the School District tax from our Property Tax bills in exchange for a 1.5% increase in the sales tax”. And then asked if I would support it. My thoughts and comments are/were as follows: “Of course this does not go far enough but it is a step in the right direction so I would support it. But we would have to see the details of course. We can offer our support in principal based upon it being a half step in the right direction conditional of course upon seeing the details of the revenue streams involved.” I commented additionally about how Property Taxes are the most hated. How they include between nominally 55% to 75% School District taxes. Decreasing half of nominally half of our hated property tax bills is at least a half step in the right direction.” D-Bell
► "Limitation on Taxing Authority Frankly by this time my mind was fried so no mental notes were recorded.
► "Personal Property Tax Amendments" This bill amended the personal property tax act and the calculation of the CTR.
► "
Senator Goodfellow had a couple of proposals involving property taxes but deferred them to a later time due to the late hour. We talked to him about them. One was for a constituent, recently widowed (Iraq War) lady told she would not have property taxes to worry about. Yet after she bought her home in May the Assessor sent her a tax bill saying she owed anyway because the bill was not effective until like April. We had to almost laugh at the overzealous assessor’s office. A second proposal although not yet “ready for prime time” concerns water conservancy districts and how they are governed by self appointed and internally elected (incestuous – my word not his) board members. He has ascertained that there are ten (10) ways they can and do increase water rates. I think it is safe to say, these water districts are almost totally out of control without benefit of any meaningful checks and balances nor taxpayer concerned oversight. Weber Basin raised our certified tax rate by some twenty-seven percent as I recall, and their justification was “they needed to do some seismic work on Pineview, Causey, and Rockport Dams. Oh and also “they have not raised the rates for a while.”
Excuse me, but I think we just witnessed what three (3) years of seismic work on Pineview dam, as crews, funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and the Federal Government the way I thought I understood it, seemed to try to make a bloody career out of the construction.
Any comments or corrections? Am I wrong? Let me know…please. Point is they are disingenuous (a euphemism for they lie) and therefore can not be trusted except to predictably raise our taxes “just because they can.” And apparently they can in spades or in ten (10) different ways.
We made an appointment to meet with Senator Howard Stephenson after return from our organization trip to St. George this weekend.
And finally, on a lighter note…I spent lunch with a guy named Rob, who is the Vice Chairman of the Democratic Convention as it turns out. I briefed him on our initiatives for “acquisition value” property tax reform and my ideas for significant comprehensive tax reform. He wanted to know if I would consider running for office on the Democratic slate since he was looking for fiscal conservatives.
I laughed, said I could not be elected “Dog catcher for Mayberry RFD” and did not wear the correct underwear. He laughed and said that only matters if you run as a Republican. Never thought democrats would ever be considered fiscal conservatives, but more and more every day it is seeming like the party basics are reversed in our State. Just as the GOP seems to see nothing wrong with budgeting and then appropriating (stealing from us using taxation), creating "special taxing entities by the score" . Shifting tax burdens squarely onto only property owners in the main without representation. They see nothing unusual at all about this process instead of the way we as the little people do it…make realistic income/revenue assumptions and THEN budget within our own means.
We need five (5), count 'em FIVE commissioners. Not three. Why? Because the odds of having five (5) conflicted and corrupt local officials are considerably less than having three (3). And when we finally learn how much these people earn, we can probably afford to spread the three (3) salaries over five (5) is my guess, such that the net effect will be better government with representation for a change.
Think of five (5) "districts" . One Commissioner from the communities West of Ogden, one from each of North Ogden, Ogden and South Ogden, and one from Ogden Valley. Be thinking about who this should be and whether they should come from the Realtor or Developer profession, prior military, legal, or some other profession, or should they be retired with no particular dog in any hunt.
Some legal beagle (attorney) out there tell us how we make this happen. The current situation is beyond anything reasonable or workable. What do you say?
God! I love this place! Never dull! Always entertaining and interesting! And frequently absolutely the opposite of what the local claims are.
Namaste,
Minor Machman
