Interested and qualified parties must send us a Letter of Intent to Participate along with information about your company’s history, qualifications, background and referrals from past installations and projects you have completed.
Property values have increased;
For many, this means property taxes have too.
A Message from Washington County Assessor Tom Durrant:
The 2022 Notice of Property Valuation and Tax Changes has been mailed and will arrive in mailboxes shortly. The notice is not a bill, it is the annual disclosure of tax rates, proposed taxes, appeal dates, and other related information. Recent, drastic changes to property values in Washington County means that most Washington County property taxpayers should expect to see a significant tax increase this year. This information is reflected on the mailed notice.
Utah requires that all property be assessed each year and taxed based on its fair market value, as valued on January 1st of that year. Utah law defines fair market value as the amount at which property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither being under any compulsion to buy or sell and both having reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts.
Market activity throughout the 2021 calendar year determines fair market value assessments for the current 2022 tax year. In 2021 we saw unprecedented changes in the value of Washington County real estate, particularly homes. This means the assessed values of property, particularly residential property, have increased to reflect the 2021 market activity.
What does that mean for Washington County property owners? For most, the short answer is to expect a significant tax increase this year.
Utah property tax laws prevent taxing entities (cities, counties, school districts, special service districts, etc.) from collecting more property tax revenue than they collected the previous year. This means tax rates established by the taxing entities should react opposite of the market. So, if the assessed values increase, the tax rate should decrease; if the assessed values decrease, the tax rate should increase; and if the market is stable, the tax rate should also remain stable. This allows for a consistent revenue source for the taxing entities to fund budgets.
To propose an increase to a particular tax rate, the taxing entity must go through a required notification process and conduct a hearing allowing for public comment. Each taxing entity is, however, automatically allowed to collect additional revenue each year from new growth, like new homes.
Some may be wondering: If my property isn’t “new growth” or subject to a proposed tax rate increase why am I paying more tax?
The answer is that individual property taxes can still increase even though a taxing entity is prevented from collecting more tax revenue than they collected the previous year. Simply stated, if an individual property value increase is greater than the average increase, the individual property tax will increase. This individual increase in taxes is called a tax shift.
The increase from a tax shift does not create more tax revenue. Some will pay more, and some will pay less depending on what an individual value did compared to the average value increase. These shifts happen every year for a variety of reasons and can happen on the state level, county level, municipal level, and all the way down to individual property level.
An example of a tax shift occurring this year is when one real estate market area experiences an increase in property values that is more than the increase in another market area. Also, one property type may see an increase in value more than another property type. Utah’s property tax system bases the property tax on the proportional share of the taxable value in the area. Meaning the greater the share of the taxable value, the greater the share of the property tax.
So, when residential property values increase at a higher rate than commercial property values, for example, the residential values may now have a larger proportional share of the tax area and experience a tax shift which will increase individual property taxes.
Other Utah happenings are increasing taxes this year.
In 2018, the Utah State Legislature increased and froze the State School Fund statewide tax rate for five years (2018-2022). Due to increasing market values the tax rate freeze has automatically increased the State School Fund portion of property tax each year. The State School Fund tax increase applies to all taxable property throughout the state. The Statewide Multi-County Assessing/Collecting tax rate is frozen as well.
The mailed property valuation notice includes the 2022 fair market value used for property tax purposes. Each property owner has the right to appeal the market value (not the property tax) with the County Board of Equalization. The Board of Equalization opens August 1 and runs thru September 15. Evidence supporting a change of market value must be included when filing an appeal.
Request For Proposal for:
LEGAL NOTICE
INVITATION TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS
The CommissionWashington County Commission in Washington County, Utah is requesting responses to a Request for Proposals (RFP) for CMGC services until 4:00 pm on Friday, August 19, 2022 from qualified contractors for a new Washington County Purgatory Medical Unit, Housing Expansion, with booking/release Remodel located at the Purgatory Correction Facility in Hurricane, Utah. Refer to RFP for description of submittal process.
A copy of the RFP and needs assessment are available from the owner on July 18, 2022 from: Nicholle Felshaw, County Administrator at: Nicholle.Felshaw@washco.utah.gov. A mandatory pre-bid meeting for any General Contractor preparing a proposal will be held at 9:00 am on Friday, July 29, 2022 at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Conference Room, 620 South 5300 West, Hurricane, Utah 84737 (Google Maps). All proposal offers acknowledge the right of the Owner to reject any or all proposals and to waive any informality or irregularity in any proposal received. The Owner reserves the right to accept the most qualified proposal, as determined by the Owner’s RFP evaluation factors.
For questions regarding this project, please email County Administrator Nicholle Felshaw at Nicholle.Felshaw@washco.utah.gov. No others are to be contacted regarding this project.
We had an incredible turn out at Wednesday nights Town Hall event at the Washington City Library. We want to sincerely thank those residents who were part of the discussion. For those who were unable to attend, several key topics related to the county were expanded upon. One of which was water solutions and reuse systems.
Water is a precious resource in our county and the commissioners keep this issue a constant topic of solution-oriented conversation. Washington County’s story over the last 170 years is the story of adaptation to water scarcity. Early pioneers in our community worked together to create dams and water systems that would feed our desert landscape. Today, we are modernizing, improving, and becoming an innovative leader in water conservation, water reuse systems, and paving the way for new water sources for our community. Water reuse systems are active today and proving effective in making up for any current deficit while we continue to develop plans for the Lake Powell Pipeline.
Elections were another topic discussed in depth. The Washington County Auditors Office is absolutely committed to the county-wide integrity and transparency in their elections process. Our ballot collections take place only at scheduled times and are always accompanied by an additional elections staff member. Each paper ballot is heavily scrutinized for the purpose of ensuring there are no duplicates and every single vote is a Washington County citizen with a verified signature on file.
An additional topic discussed was that of our library system. Library’s in our county are expanding their resources with events, programs, digital/online reading sources and much more. We want the future of our library’s to optimally serve the resident’s of our county for generations to come. We informed our attendees of a county-wide survey we will be sending out to get the public’s feedback. This will be an opportunity for citizens to have a voice in what may be to come for Washington County’s library system.
Again, we thank all participants that attended our Town Hall meeting. It is events like this that pave the way for clarification, transparency, and collaborative community progress. You can count on your county commissioners to hear your voice. We encourage all of our residents to join us for the return of our next Town Hall event, date and time will be announced soon!
Request For Proposal for:
Lighting Control & Fixtures Replacement
in Ballroom & Garden Room
at the Dixie Convention Center
Washington County Convention & Tourism Office is requesting proposals for replacement of the Lutron Lighting Control System and the lighting fixtures in the Ballroom and Garden Room at the Dixie Convention Center.
Interested and qualified parties must send us a Letter of Intent to Participate along with information about your company’s history, qualifications, background and referrals from past installations and projects you have completed.
Washington County, Utah (the “County”) previously adopted a resolution declaring its intent to designate the Washington County Harmony Heights Paving Project Special Assessment Area (the “Assessment Area”). The County has received 21 valid written protests from property owners within the Assessment Area, which constitute 40.4% of the total lots proposed to be included within the Assessment Area.
Washington County is a governmental entity that is subject to the Government Records Access Management Act. Any information that you provide to us through a website form or application may be made available to the public if required by law. You may view Washington County’sprivacy policy here.
