School district schedules Aug. 14 public meeting for proposed tax increase
by Laura Haley
Contributing Writer
Jul 25, 2013 | 1446 views | 0 0 comments | 54 54 recommendations | email to a friend | print
The Grand County Board of Education will hold a Truth in Taxation meeting Aug. 14 to discuss a proposed tax increase designed to increase revenue for the district.

According to Jim Webster, president of the school board, the meeting will be held to discuss an increase to the capital local levy tax rate. The tax increase was included in the tentative budget that school board members approved during their June meeting.

Grand County School Business Administrator Robert Farnsworth said the tax increase discussed at the Truth in Taxation meeting will actually be less than the amount previously considered by the school board. The change is due to a decrease in the basic tax rate.

“In order to raise the $200,000 that we intended to, we actually needed to raise it even less,” school board member Beth Joseph said.

The school board intends to use the additional revenue that will result from the increase to the capital local levy rate for building projects, such as the renovations or new construction that district officials have said are needed for the Grand County Middle School.

Farnsworth said the basic rate, which is set by the state, went down slightly, which allows the district to recapture that revenue. The board originally discussed a rate of .000151 percent in the capital local levy, which would have resulted in an increase of $17.18 per year on a $200,000 home. However, Farnsworth said that school board members are now looking at an increase of .000072 percent.

“It will be just under half of what we originally planned,” he said.

Grand County School District Superintendent Scott Crane said Farnworth will prepare a presentation for the Aug. 14 meeting regarding the tax increase and the impact it is expected to have on property owners.

“If anyone wants to come in and have us look at their taxes, we’ll look at them individually,” Crane said.

The Truth in Taxation hearing will be held Aug. 14 at 6:00 pm at the Grand County School District office, 264 South 400 East in Moab. Members of the public are encouraged to attend.

Farnsworth said that property tax notices are expected to be mailed out by the county before the meeting, so that residents will have a chance to review them ahead of time.

The board will not take a final vote on the increase until the next board meeting on Aug. 21. They will accept comments regarding the issue until then.
Share This Article |
similar stories

Fee increases proposed for Arches and Canyonlands parks | 15 days ago

District’s decision affects local preschools... | 8 days ago

My View Why give special interest groups a second bite at the Bishop Lands Initiative apple? | 1 day 13 hrs ago by Jerry McNeeley

High Desert Hoofbeats Keep the welcome mat out... | 8 days ago by Sena Taylor Hauer

County to hold more public workshops on Bishop lands initiative | 1 day 14 hrs ago by Molly Marcello
Staff Writer


Copyright 2013 The Times-Independent. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

report abuse...

Express yourself:

We're glad to give readers a forum to express their points of view on issues important to this community. That forum is the “Letters to the Editor.” Letters to the editor may be submitted directly to The Times-Independent through this link and will be published in the print edition of the newspaper. All letters must be the original work of the letter writer – form letters will not be accepted. All letters must include the actual first and last name of the letter writer, the writer’s address, city and state and telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be accepted.

Letters may not exceed 400 words in length, must be regarding issues of general interest to the community, and may not include personal attacks, offensive language, ethnic or racial slurs, or attacks on personal or religious beliefs. Letters should focus on a single issue. Letters that proselytize or focus on theological debates will not be published. During political campaigns, The Times-Independent will not publish letters supporting or opposing any local candidate. Thank you letters are generally not accepted for publication unless the letter has a public purpose. Thank you letters dealing with private matters that compliment or complain about a business or individual will not be published. Nor will letters listing the names of individuals and/or businesses that supported a cause or event. Thank you letters about good Samaritan acts will be considered at the discretion of the newspaper.