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Show At a cost of about $130,000 for reappraisal, Iron County's property taxes for 1976 will be I based upon assessments on land I and improvements that will come closer, to the requirements of the law (an assessment ratio 1 of 30 percent) than they have for; many years. If past experience is I followed the assessment ratio I applied by the County Assessor I will now decline each year, while I the assessment ratio applied by the State Tax Commission for utilities, railroads and mines will annually be kept at the 26 percent j level. In a few years, when the Assessor's ratio drops to about 11 or 12 percent the need for reappraisal will be so urgent that the Commission must again be I called upon to restore some degree of equity. j A number of alternatives to a repeat of this pattern might be , I considered. The basic objective I should be the removal of I Steven LeFevre presented Duty to God Award j Steven Ronald LeFevre, son of j Mr. and Mrs. Ronald LeFevre of Cedar City, recently received his Duty to God Award in Sacrament I Meeting in the Cedar 13th Ward. I This is an LDS Priesthood Award I and is given in recognition of the I youth's attendance at Quorum j and Church meetings, par- ticipation in Church and Youth activities, fulfilling voluntary i service to his Church and I Community, and upholding th standards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I Steven is a Junior at Cedar I High School, where he has been active in the Hiking Club and in the technical and production section of the Drama Dep. -t-ment. He is an Eagle Scout anc s an enthusiastic back-packe hiker, and camper. property taxes from buildings, improvements and' personal property leaving the property tax as a land value tax. The development of the necessary constitutional amendments, for the voters, should be by the State Legislature and the State Tax Commission. With this change, county assessors with only modest sized staffs can be expected ex-pected to keep assessments of land up to date annually and reappraisal will be a thing of the pdst. While such a program is worked on at the State level a parallel action program can be started at local levels. Within existing tax laws, county assessors can increase land value assessments for next year by simply developing an ap- . propriate multiplier. Excluded from increases should be far- ' mland assessed under the Farmland Assessment Act of 1969. A multiplier of about 1.10 is suggested and some research ' may show that this is too modest to adjust for inflation and to correct for continuing under- " assessment. However, any ac- . tion of this kind would put the State Legislature and the State " Tax Commission on notice that we are serious about getting nder way with property tax form. "he assessed value of my lot in 15 is $950. Applying a l.io mi 'iplier would bring the as sed value to $1,045 for 1977. Sine 'he market value of my lot is atJt $6,500 my land value " assessment ratio would be about 16 percent, still far below the 30 percent ratio called for by law or the 20 percent ratio which was the objective of the reappraisal 4 work. My valuation is likely typical, but some research on a " number of properties will be helpful as we urge the Assessor and local governments to con-" sider this proposal for Iron" County. ( Earl A. Hanson ' |
