Show fi Are Ae fusing Expensive ED NOTE This is the first of three articles on the stud study of special purpose districts made hr by the League of Women Voters In the last ten years Americans Americans American's Americans Amer Amer- ican's b by the thousands have I mo to the suburbs You or certainly your neighbors rs are arc among these thousands You sought to to escape the noise and andrush andrush andrush rush of th the cit city or or the fresh I air and quiet of or the country You found the country air and you also found septic tanks cesspools and your own way to the garbage dump Perhaps to your surprise you learned that the local government was unable or unwilling to supply I many services to which you were conditioned Neighborhood groups petitioned petitioned petitioned peti peti- the count county government for one special service such as sewage disposal and a a special purpose district was formed Such a district is a government unit with its own boundaries it may overlap existing muni muni muni- cipal or 01 county lines its own governing go body and its own right to levy taxes It may seem I Ito to toy you vou to be an efficient substitute sub I statute for municipal govern govern- ment But one day the postman postman post post- man may bring a statement ofa of ofa ofa I a special assessment and you will find that without having signed a petition or even having having hav- hav hasing ing been aware of its formation formation forma forma- tion you OU arc are being taxed by another new special purpose district You may then be aroused to gr grumble or to investigate investigate in in- The Bountiful League of or Women Women Wo Wo- men Voters made mad a study of or special purpose districts and of or those in south Davis In parti cular At present there are five in this area arca but as south Davis population increases these units will likely increase Residents should know know- what has happened with unrestricted growth of oC thes these districts in other areas In 1959 about two-thirds two of the governmental units In the United States were special purpose districts They are ale com corn old units the first one having been been- in Philadelphia in 1790 to administer administer ster a prison The first special l purpose districts in Utah were formed in 1913 to provide l for r rI drainage ditches In 1919 irrigation irrigation I gation districts were formed The recent influx to unincorporated unincorporated unincorporated areas has imposed responsibilities responsibilities re responsibilities re- re and problems on municipal a and d county governments governments govern govern- ments that they do not meet The government may not care to alter its established way of performing its functions or it may be quite unfamiliar with the new service demanded Most local governments are already alread levying the um tn tax allowed allow allow- ed b by current laws They cannot cannot cannot can can- not provide more services without without without with with- out more tax income So special special special cial districts have increased and tangible property taxation i has increased accordingly The Utah foundation reports reports' that in 1959 there were 57 separate separate separate sep sep- arate taxing areas arens in Salt Lake County and 33 in Davis Is County Within the limits of the toy town of West Sest Jordan there is a 50 per pel cent variance in property from a recent annexation of an 1 1 area which was alread already in a special tax district t a and d' d in an another another other school district Annexation of unincorporated areas by cities usually results in confusion of ot the tax picture I IThe The property owner o continues to pay an any special district levies I in add addition tion to the new city leyHe levy y He no lon longer er receives benefits from the districts to which he is forced to pay these taxes forthe for forthe forthe the city has taken over the furnishing of the services How near to such confusion is south Davis County We arenow are arenow arenow now affected by 1 Weber Basin Water Conservancy Conservancy Con Con- District levy applies applies ap ap- plies to all of Davis County except Antelope Island 2 Bountiful Water District 3 South Davis Water prove Im provement District 4 4 South Davis County Sewer Improvement ement District 5 Davis County Mosque t o 0 Abatement District Facts concerning the formation forma forma- formation tion and operation of these of-these these districts districts districts dis dis- will be presented in a later late article |