OCR Text |
Show Commissioners vote 1 Mill increase on taxes before changing mind receive budget analysis and requests from the various departments before the levy is set next year. The commission also noted other tax levies in the county: Cedar City 13, up same as last years; Paragonah 10, up from last year's 8.5; Brian Head 16, same as last year. Parowan, Enoch and Kanarraville had not submitted their levies to the county clerk as of Monday, August 1. The Iron County School Board has set their mill levy at 42.04, up four mills from last year, the commission said. Editor's note: What follows is the report of a speicla mill levy meeting of the Iron County Commission. The levy was changed, however, bya late breaking news bulletin Tuesday af-ternnon, af-ternnon, when the commission announced an-nounced it would not raise the levy. See front page story for details. 1 In a special meeting Friday, the Iron County Commission voted to increase the county tax mill levy by one mill for 1978, bringing the total county levy to 11.9. The 2-1 vote, with commissioner Cleo Wood dissenting, came after much discussion of anticipated revenues from federal and state sources and possible major expenditures, such as ambulance service. The commissioners com-missioners said the increase would amount to $4 to a person living in a $40,000 home. An undetermined amount of federal "in-leiu" taxes will probably be allotted to the county, the commissioners com-missioners siad, and in the event they do, any surplus would apply to lowering the levy the following year, they also said departments will be urged to , conserve expenditures for the balance of the year to help out the levy the following year. Lower Valuation The increase was due, in part, to a lower assessed valuation for the county, the commission said. Clerk-Auditor Clerk-Auditor Clair Hulet said a $1,467,884 reduction was reflected in this year's evaluation, due to a "reduction in mining production over the past three years." County valuation is $$55,758, 983, he said. The one mill tax increase would offset the lower valuation, Hulet said, plus increase the revenue "only slightly" to pay for anticipated expenditures ex-penditures such as ambulance service and road equipment. Commissioner Wood nearly voted for the increase but hesitated saying, "It's hard to face the up and up and up of taxes. I'll hold to my convictions. I wish we could squeeze to keep it (levy) where it is." Chairman Grant Seaman said he felt the county was "already holding the line in every department.. ..so I feel good that it isn't more than one mill." With 100 percent collection the new levy will account for $663,531.80 in general revenue funds, the commission said. They noted, however, Yhat loss of collection is increasing yearly, only 89.27 percent being collected last year. Hulet told the commission there was a "chance" the budget could survive with no increase, but that it would be a gamble. He originally proposed eight-tenths of one mill for the increase, but added he did not take into account hospital capital investments or ambulance problems. The general fund does not survive totally from taxes, Hulet noted, as only 48.68 percent of the general fund comes from tax moneys. Before voting for the increase. Commissioner Jim Clark questioned the policy of setting the levy previous to receiving budget requests from the various county department heads. He said he felt there would be a greater chance of reducing the levy if requests were made earlier. Presently the levy is set, then county departments are asked to "fit" their budgets into the proposed limits. Others Listed All the commissioners tended to agree and said steps will be taken to |