It’s that time of year when people find out how their local assessor values their properties. That offers an initial picture of what they’ll owe in property taxes.
Wasatch County Clerk-Auditor Joey Granger said preliminary tax notices will go out by July 22, and people should look for them in mailboxes soon after that. People can also find that information now on Wasatch County’s tax lookup service.
The rates are preliminary until the board of equalizations finalizes them. Granger said the Central Utah Water Conservancy District and Hideout have proposed tax increases, and public hearing notices will go out in the weeks to come.
Final tax bills will be sent in October.
In Wasatch County, some who already looked up their new values online are concerned after seeing their appraisals increased dramatically.
This year, Dave Misiak saw his land value in Red Ledges go up 133%, from $300,000 to $700,000. That assessment doesn’t include his house, only the 1-acre lot it’s on, which he moved to in 2019. He said he’s looking for answers about how the process works now.
“I live in Red Ledges, and everybody's property’s about the same,” Misiak said. “There’s properties next to me, there are properties across the street. They're all about the same size, they're all about the same topology. What I don't understand is how they can increase my land value 133% when my neighbors, who have the same exact property in the same exact subdivision, had an average of 56% per property.”
All assessed property values in the county are public information. To look up a property, go to wasatch.utah.gov.
Misiak and other taxpayers this year have asked for clarity on changes to their land values and tax bills.
County Assessor Todd Griffin didn’t respond to KPCW’s questions regarding how many assessments his office conducted this year and how many residents could expect tax increases.
Griffin will update the county council on this year’s appraisal process during Wednesday’s regular meeting. That’s taking place at 3 p.m. at the Wasatch County Administration Building.
