The Wasatch County School Distrct has proposed a property tax revenue increase of $14 million — or $23 million, depending on your perspective. About $8 million would go to teacher salaries and other costs impacted by inflation like utilities and fuel. About $6 million is slated for the district’s capital fund for future building projects.
The remaining $9 million would pay for Wasatch County’s new high school. At the Wasatch County School District's Truth in Taxation hearing Wednesday, Keith Johansen, a business administrator with the district, said that amount is reflected in the certified tax rate report. But the increase is actually zero-sum because the school had been paying the same amount to service the debt on Wasatch County High School.
"If the school board had not had this truth and taxation hearing tonight … the auditor certified rate revenue would have been $83 million," Johansen said. "Because we moved $9 million out of debt service up into the capital fund to make the future payments — one year early — that dropped that number to $74 million."
That didn’t satisfy Heber City resident Jade Holmes.
"You are already spending the $9 million so I don't understand how you can say well, $9 million of this $23 million is going towards debt," she said.
"That’s the beauty of this system, it makes no sense," Johansen replied.
"If it makes no sense, it might not need to pass," Holmes said.
But even $14 million amounts to approximately a $1300 increase on a home valued at $1.6 million. Public comment was rather evenly split between homeowners who felt that was too high and educators expressing appreciation for the additional school funding.
Amanda Blazzard was among the teachers who spoke in support. She said the cost of living in Wasatch County is very high for a teacher.
"Thank you for my salary. I also shed a lot of tears when I saw our new salaries, because that allows me to stay here, close to my children," she said. "I am recently divorced, and I did not want to have to leave my babies. That would break my heart."
Meanwhile, Heber City Mayor Heidi Franco spoke on behalf of aggrieved homeowners.
"Every citizen that I've spoken with has complained about the school district taxes," she said. "And they've asked me to come and represent them here from Heber City to say this is too much."
Franco said the district’s ask of $14 million is nearly the equivalent of what the city has budgeted for its general revenue fund. She asked the board to hold off on seeking $6 million for the capital fund until the county has caught up on property assessments, and valuations county-wide are more equitable.
"I just feel that the tax burden is so uneven right now, given the way that has gone for several years now," Franco said. "And people are not satisfied with that, especially the people that are here that are very, very concerned about their retirement, about being house rich and cash poor."
Heber City resident Farah Sanders wondered if some school resources could be used more efficiently before taxpayers give more money to pay for them. She said she lives near Daniels Canyon Elementary:
"There are some things in terms of utilities that I think could be managed a little bit better, like the lights being turned off effectively, or the lights that are flashing and have been flashing all day long and all night long," she said.
Taking such input into account, when it came time for the school board to vote on the tax increase, board member Marianne B. Allen had a different idea.
"I'd actually move that we table that for tonight in light of the input we received here tonight, out of respect," she said. "We have gone over this budget, and we think we've crossed our T's and dotted our I’s. But I feel like we've heard a lot tonight that I feel like we can discuss as a board."
The motion passed.
Allen told KPCW the board will review the budget and may come right back to the same $14 million proposal.
"Everybody else is looking at their budget twice," she said. "We've looked at our budget, a lot more than twice — probably 10 times — at least in the last like two weeks. And we'll look one more time.”
The board indicated it will look the proposal again at a study session which has not yet been scheduled.
