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Show County property taxes : where do we stand now? Today's article is the first in a three-part three-part series on property taxes in Iron County. This story deals with the County mill levy and tax, while next week's story will deal with the much higher Iron County School District levy. The final part will discuss the tax in various cities of the County. By BRUCE LEE Record Editor Taxes. We all live with them. We all pay them. We all complain about them. But how ; many of us really understand them? Property taxes especially seem to be misunderstood and hated. Next to the individual income tax, property taxes are generally the highest paid by most people. And, perhaps more importantly, property taxes are the meaas lor collecting funds to keep local entities counties, cities and schools-operating. schools-operating. The average taxpayer in Iron County pays nearly 70 mills or $700 on a $50,000 home . in property taxes each year. Of course this varies greatly from one area of the county to another. Yet, of that amount, only 11.65 mills or $116.50 on the $50,000 home goes to amount, about 20 percent or $117,575 went to Iron County, with the rest going to the school district. Next year, said Jones, the company will probably pay only about $60,000 to the County and school district combined, cutting the revenue to the County by about $105,000. However, both Grimshaw and Cowan are hoping that difference can be made up lor by increased property values in other areas. Redevelopment an area of concern An area that concerns Grimshaw as much, or perhaps more, is the Cedar City Redevelopment project: He said that although Cedar City officials are claiming it won't raise taxes, that it definitely will. Redevelopment takes any taxes above those paid in 1980 from a large area of Cedar City's business district. That amounts to about $20,000 this year and $60,000 to $80,000 next year, said Grimshaw. Although this doesn't cut into taxes being collected, it limits the growth the County must see to keep up with increased population and resultant increased services. For instance, he said, all the taxes Irom Zions National Bank, K-Mart, Alpha Beta, and the Fiddler's III theaters go into the redevelopment fund. Proposed hall of justice Another item that may effect taxes in the County is the proposed Iron County hall of justice. According to Cowan, if the jail were approved and built, it could raise the mill levy by about six mills. "I think this next year we're looking at some very hard decisions," concluded Grimshaw. "You don't really cut money by not buying pencils and papers. You cut money by letting , people go," the County for County purposes. The rest goes to the various cities and the school district. County levy second highest in area Iron County's mill levy of 11.65 is the second highest in the five county area, coming in behind Washington County's at 1 3.24 and ahead of Kane County's at 10.61. Yet, it is the only mill levy in the area to be raised last year. Iron County's jumped 1.95, while Washington County's dropped 3.76 and Kane County's dropped a whopping 6.41. But what do these figures mean exactly? Are Iron County residents paying too much? Will they be paying more in the future because of the slow economy and the closing last year of the I'tah International mines in the western part of the County? "It's not as bright as we would like it, but it's really not that bad," said Iron County Commission Chairman Dee Cowan concerning the tax outlook. "We're on the verge of exploding." Silver mine and Brian Head That "exploding" includes increased taxes from the Ranchers Exploration silver mine near Beryl, the increased building in Brian Head and the potential for mineral and energy exploration in the County. AH these would provide a larger tax base for the County. County Assessor G. Steven Grimshaw pretty much agrees. "I think this next year we're looking at some very hard decisions," he said. "I think we look some better, but still we don't look good." He also points out that the mill levy does not tell the whole story in determining taxes. Utah State factoring and reassessment programs, as well as assessed valuation, can affect the overall picture. "A ready-made hangman's noose" He said that any commissioners elected in the next election are "coming into a ready-made hangman's noose," noting that the new commission will probably have to raise taxes and-or cut services and employees. "This coming year, in my opinion, looks like the toughest year for the County yet." Part of the reason for that is the closing of the ore mines of Utah International, he said. According to York Jones, manager of the m mine, Utah .International paid $587,874 in taxes this year. Of that |