Coalville mayoral candidate Lynn Wood is currently living in a home in that town as her primary residence, according to a determination from the Summit County Assessor’s Office.
That announcement dispels allegations that Wood is not a resident of Coalville, and further, that she claims two different primary homes, one in Summit County and one in Salt Lake.
Wood is running against Mark Marsh for the Coalville mayor’s seat on the general election ballot coming up in about two months.
County Assessor Stephanie Poll told us that in July, her office asked Wood and her husband to submit an application for primary-home status. Poll said her department is beginning a new policy of occasional audits, and her action didn’t have anything to do with the city’s elections.
“It had nothing to do with that. Just a periodic audit and we found that the application that was on file was extremely old. And so we did send it out, particularly after we found out that she does have another home that they own in Salt Lake County. We just sent out an application. They have filled that out. They’ve provided the necessary proof of residency, and so we have applied that exemption in Coalville, and then we do let Salt Lake County know that the exemption’s being applied here. And they’ll make any necessary changes, if any needed, in their county.”
Poll reported that Wood and her husband have been primary-home residents since September 1st of last year. Candidates for mayor in Coalville must live in town for 12 months before election day.
Under Utah law, the owner of a primary home is only charged 50 percent of their property-tax rate. A secondary-home owner must pay 100 percent.
As KPCW previously reported, Wood said in recent years, she and her husband lived full-time at their home in Sandy because her husband faced medical challenges and needed to be closer to a Salt Lake hospital. She said they moved back to Coalville when her husband’s health allowed it.
Lynn Wood owns another home in Coalville. County Assessor Poll said that is taxed as a secondary home.
She added that the Salt Lake home could be taxed as a primary home if it is occupied by a long-term renter.
