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Show FARM FRESH Basin's growers peddle goods at FarmprQ Markftt in Vernal 9-YEAR-OLD ALL-STARS Young baseball players compete in regional tourney C1 weallu.rt: . ; fj'lf "I i'- 8460 8359 Mllll i itt Sctuml Shshichuce ASt'LN tsRlXlk thunder, o a thunder DPIITV lt" -tornu H.ghi Mann. jJ 1 -I in the mid llow, Cqq A 7 infer low OCC ri noi. UTAH PRESS ASSOCIATION ( 1521 E 3900 S STE 100 SALT LAKE CITY UT 84194-1 n 11 5th Year No. 32 Vernal, Utah 84078 50 CENTS www.vernal.com Wednesday fii-pst G, 2003 Your Hometown Newspaper Changes to property tax rates across Uintah County Most home values in Uintah County increased around 9 percent from 2007 to 2008. And since taxes are based on the value of property, taxes went up as well. Taxes for most residences are assessed on 55 percent of the total market value. For a home valued at $200,000 in 2008, the homeowner will pay taxes on $110,000 of the property. With assessed values rising home may have been valued at $183,500 homeowner would have paid taxes on $100,925 of the property. Under the current property tax proposal and assuming all homes increase similarly in assed value, taxpayers in Ballard will ,'"' see the smallest increases, with little difference among taxpayers across the rest of Uintah County. f, .: Ute & Ouray Tribal Lands County, ose By Mary Bernard Express Writer Recent newspaper ads in the Vernal Express advise property prop-erty owners of the proposed tax changes in Uintah County. Taxing authorities presented the ads to summarize increases for the county and several other entities. The Uintah Water Conservancy Conser-vancy District and the county have proposed tax increases for the primary water districts countywide. Increases vary between 2.4 and 3.1 percent, which translate into between $25.67 and $31.16 in increased taxes for a home - - i cn same prop Highway 40 road improvements slows area traffic by Kevin Ashby Express Publisher Drivers are experiencing two different road work zones on U.S. Highway 40 west of Vernal. Both are scheduled to be completed in October, but completion dates are up in the air as asphalt shortages are negatively impacting all road projects in the area. According to UDOT spokesman spokes-man Troy Ostler Highway 40 is beingwidenedjustwestofVernal near the scenic turnout area between mile post 139 and 141. Passing lanes will be extended from those already in place in Vernal and continue for two more miles to the scenic turnoff. Huge track hoes have been digging and filling trucks from top of the hill to widen the road for the additional highway lunea. Exit Rhalty Professionals 1285 West Hwy 40 Vernal, Utah 84078 (435) 789-EXIT (3948) Tridell-Lapoint $1,114 tax on home valued at S200 000 in 2008 $117 increase (Ballard $1,326 tax on home valued t $200,000 in 2008 $109 increase on 3ame home valued .at183 500in2007 about 9 percent, the same in 2007 and the (Other Uintah County $1,C59tax ! 0.9631 or home vaiued at S200.0OO tn 2008 $119 increase proposeri ta rate in 20C3 0.9320 tax rate In 2tK'7 i none valued .aTSIPl.500 m 2507 State on jame nome valued tax rate m 2007 I 1 wHinHI at183500in2007 I v . . I $1,122 tax 1.0199 I I on home valued proposed 1 . 1 j, at S200 000 in 2008 tax late in 2008 I 1 $118 increase 0.9951 1 .,-' ""1 Of same home valued tax rate in 2007 1.2053 ' 3.5002007 J proposed I If 2058 ) ta rate in 2007 I ' 1 $1,121 tax I 1.0187 J Wit on fiome valued pfoposed irrnr-y L Lt i ori same non)e vaJued tax rate in 2007 I ' fMJeJValley Water) 7"V J (Way Park Water ITJ d8i2 ' , $1,136 taX 1.0328 ' al$200 000,n2008 -tax rate in 2008 ,S onhomevaiued proposed " $120 increase 0.9541 -v5 0 al $200,000 in 2008 tax rate in 2008 , o same home valued tax rate in 2007 $122 increase 1.0049 tmimw J y on same home vatued tax rate in 2007 je at$183 500 in 2007 ' r water conservancy property tax increase owner of a $188,200 residence. The county budget is proposed to increase from $7.9 million to $11.4 with the bulk of the increase in-crease coming from tax revenue on new growth. New growth will account for $1.8 million of the $3.4 million budget increase. The budget had at one time carried a $4. 1 million overall proposal. The proposed budget, if approved, ap-proved, would provide 44.05 percent more revenue above the previous year. This would mean an additional $39.05 in tax on a home valued at $188,200 or $72.65 on a commercial business of the same value. A public meeting on Aug. 11 To do this over 112,000 yards of dirt will be moved from the hill as well as from the state's gravel pit located in the twists to fill in the low spots needed for the new highway lanes. A new farm access road is also being constructed to the fields on the south and east side of the road in that area. The original access road ran parallel to the highway in the right-of -way, but the widening wid-ening of the road eliminated the right-of-way width needed for the access road. Originally the project was scheduled to be done by Oct. 15 and all of the earth work and gravels will be in place by then explained Ostler. "But right now we don't know if we are going to ge asphalt so the competition date is up in the SEE HIGHWAY 40 on A2 x fo iii 'Maeser Water $1,103 tax 1.0023 . on home valued proposed S atS200.000in2008 tax late m 2008 I m n : . n , Water Central Utah Water Conservancy District J $30 48 j 531 46 Uintah County Q Mosquito Abatement LJ $23 21 S2453 Local Assess and Collect 3 S30 28 $33.00 Multi-county 3 $12 2t $13.31 Assess and Collect Uintah Water C1S31 49 Conservancy District LJ $44 00 Uintah School District 31$, 353 $ 32 31 Supported Schools 137 50 1 $205 9 Uintah County ..-uJSBai $257.40 E3 $63 68 Vernal City 562 48 100 200 300 will be conducted at 6 p.m. in the Uintah Commission Chambers at 147 E. Main Street in Vernal to discuss the proposed overall tax increase in Uintah County. The following evening, Aug. 12, the Uintah Water Conservancy Conser-vancy District will conduct a similar hearing at 6 p.m. at the water district office, 78 W. 3325 North in Vernal. Assessors calculate the market mar-ket value of a home based on the previous year's sales and sales-ratio sales-ratio data in the county. The taxable value of the home is calculated as 55 percent of its market value. As the property value of a home rises so too, will the taxable value of the property. prop-erty. Most homeowners are already aware of changes as property valuation and tax notices were sent more than a week ago. Home values rose on average about nine percent, which is down from last year's 20-plus percent increase. "Look at the value and ask I- 10125 i I J iiiuiciwii U.9r40 7o I nroDoaad I " "ome valued tax rate In 2007 I S.1,2008 Vie3.500,2007 I " J 0.9877 .,. , x Vh'terO"Ksl at S2W 0G0 in 2008 tax rate in 2008 v Jorndeii 1 $123 increase 0.9886 i ' 00 satT home valued tax rate in 2007 ft I , I Vat $183,500 m 2007 j, Ballard- " QRomt , " Si. "Randlett J o" $1,119 tax 1.0176 , ,- V A Naoles on homo valued proposed f-A ' al $200,000 in 2008 tax rate in 2008 ,. .. , Y $122 increase 0.9879 Heavy equipment started at the top of the hill and worked down to widen the pass to allow four lanes of highway to be constructed west of Vernal near the scenic turnout. The widening project will allow for four lanes of traffic to continue out of Vernal to the turnoff. y Price Reduced! TvSlarling at SlBOX c Youdtstnrthbitlncarfr ' living! ) bedroom, 2 bath, quality upgradti throughout, buyor Incentive! off trod, (all JoAnn today) Where does the money go? All property taxes are paid to the county clerk's office. But the county is only one of several taxing entities. A breakdown of taxes on a $200,000 Vernal home in 2008 compared to the same home valued at $183,500 in 2007 shows the county and schools receive the largest portion of taxes. Uintah County and Uintah Water Conservancy District are proposing rate increases with hearings Monday and Tuesday evenings next week. ' ' " " ' SIZ465 - ".-Jaa $518.21 n 2007 assessed rates 2006 proposed ratoa 400 500 600 your self, 'Can you sell your home for that much or more?" said Rolene Rasmussen, county assessor. "I encourage people to come into the assessor's office if you feel like the appraisal is incorrect." This call needs to be made within the next 30 days to guarantee a taxpayer's right of appeal. Rasmussen reminds property owners that the assessor's office can help people with questions about their home's value, not their tax rates or tax amounts. In Utah, tax rates vary among counties with an average tax rate of 1.1 percent for property taxes according to the state's local government website. The same Web site identifies identi-fies Uintah County's tax rate as 0.9951 percent (less locally assessed taxes), ranking it 13th out of 29 counties. Taxpayers with questions need to call the Clerk Auditor's Office at (435) 781-5363. ttx ' ' ,- A 'i ' - ,-. ' - " " . A "j J ' 1 1 D 'rIJ 1 Nice uptown location. Pour bedrooms, two baths, living room, kitchen with new appliances and percjo floorinq. New windows, new siding, new metal tool, lull sprinkler system, storarje shed and nice patiol Close to shopping, schools and church. Call Susan today at 828 6086 3 Susan NcbcKcr A -;vH i.ifc fir 'C!' UTSSD RECEIVES $100K SILTA helps Seep Ridge Road study The Uintah Transportation Special Service District is receiving receiv-ing a $ 1 00,000 contribution from the state School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) to help pay initial planning plan-ning and engineering expenses for a proposed extension of Seep Ridge Road south of Ouray. SITLA delivered the first installment of $83,434.46 on Wednesday to the UTSSD. The remaining $16,565.54 will be delivered in the next few days. The proposed extension will make improvements, including pavement, to the existing dirt road utilizing the current road alignment. The pavement will continue south approximately 48 miles. SITLA made the contribution to UTSSD because the extension of Seep Ridge Road will provide vastly improved access and value to more than 10,000 acres of School Trust Lands in southern Uintah County. The parcels have potential for oil, gas and, other County fleet to add natural gas vehicles by Mary Bernard Express Writer By a vote of two to one, Uintah County commissioners approved a proposal to changeover some of the county fleet to natural gas vehicles. Voting followed a presentation by Rob Behunin, Impact Mitigation Mitiga-tion Special Service District, who summarized the potential for NGV usage by the county fleet. "The proposal is not a silver bullet," said Behunin, touching on the cost and energy savings of NGVs. "But it will provide a cleaner way to fuel the county's fleet vehicles." In June, Questar Corporation's Corpora-tion's proposed to donate a 2,500 psi natural gas compressor and three fueling tanks to the county. Commissioners asked the impact mitigation district to research the proposal and present their findings. "Today, there are thousands of government cars in the U.S. that operate on natural gas," Behunin began, "which the U.S. Department Depart-ment of Energy estimates to have displaced nearly 300 million gas gallon equivalents. That's a cost savings in the billions." County officials have been looking to lower transportation costs as fuel prices continue to soar. Reports indicate that I bediooms. 2 baths, 2 cat gatjqf, new catpet throuqhoot, npw wood floorinq m kitchen HMtitilul paint in every room and lots & lots d( stotaqe. Listed at $214,900. Seller otterinq SS.OOO lot buyet closing costs. Darling home feat neiqhbothood. $S,000 Buyer Bonus (Alt SUSAN 828 o086 tot your showing development. "Uintah County and the UTSSD greatly appreciate the support from the State Trust Lands Administration," said UTSSD Executive Director Cheri McCurdy in a press release. "Redleaf Resources, an oil shale development company, has also pledged $100,000 in the form of a challenge grant to industry." McCurdy said improving access ac-cess to Interstate 70 will greatly relieve traffic congestion on U.S. Highway 40, which travels through Heber City and Daniels Canyon. "With improvements to Seep Ridge, we are planning for the current and future transportation transporta-tion needs of Uintah County," she said. SITLA is an independent state agency that manages 3.4 million acres of Utah trust lands for the financial benefit of Utah's public schools and 1 1 other public institutions. natural gas is a cleaner burning fuel, which translates into lower operational costs for fleet managers. manag-ers. --"The interior a "NGV deteriorates dete-riorates long before the engine. Less engine wear means less maintenance. Operators report a savings $10,000, on average per vehicle, " Behunin explained. "One corporate fleet vehicle in the state has 1 million miles on the engine. The reason for this, continued contin-ued Behunin has to do with fuel efficiency. He offered a quick physics lesson comparing natural natu-ral gas' fuel efficiency to other hydrocarbon-based fuels. "Comparing the burn ratio of fuels,"Behunin says. "Diesel emits 14 molecules of C02 from burning, gasoline releases eight, propane releases three and methane or natural gas releases one. If you're worried about C02 releases, NGVs will be better for air quality." Utah state legislators agree with this assessment, promoting House Bills 103 and 106, which deal with the cleaner burning fuel of compressed natural gas. . HB 103 grants authority for the public to access CNG from state facilities and HB 106 provides tax credits for the expansion of alternative fuel vehicles. "SEE COUNTY FLEET on A2 Wonderful Maeset location with 5 bediooms, J baths, foimal living room, family room, large homerwker kitchen, vinyl tenting and lull auto sprinkler system. 2 car garage, RV narking, storage, 14 unfinished basemeni and centtal air. Call Susan today at 8?8 H)86 r 11. - ' |