Yang Baicheng – In November 2024, Box Elder County residents strike a bond proposal that will be improved toward various areas, including new construction and renovations, the Box Elder School District is forced to find another avenue to obtain funding.
It was in the early hours of Thursday morning, with the district's board of directors approving a 37.2% property tax increase.
The move is expected to cost the county's average homeowners $343 a year. For business owners, the increase is an additional $624 per year.
The board said the additional funding will be dedicated to two things: an increase in employee compensation by 2% and meeting building improvement needs, which includes the establishment of a new primary school in the Westy Donton area and the addition of Bear River and Box Senior High School.
In a tax introduction ahead of public comments, Regional Business Chief Neil Stevens said part of the pressure on the region’s budget came from legislative requirements that did not come with funds.
“The Legislature likes to pass new laws. Last year, they passed 57% of the laws they proposed for education. New requirements were imposed on us. This triggers new reports, and (and) often does not bring new funds,” Stevens said. “60% of our new needs have no accompanying funds. The state has asked for us. We have to fund it somehow, and often the answer is property tax.”
During public comments at the hearing, Rep. Tom Peterson of R-Brigham City responded to the concerns, saying the Legislature was doing its best.
“In 2022, our allocation to Box Old County was $96.8 million; in 2026, the allocation was $131 million. It has increased nearly 40% over the past five years,” Peterson said. “I want to make sure the public knows that we are funding education at a record level. And, I have to deal with things at your level, too, but we are doing everything we can to fund public education.”
While the hearing included some opinions on both sides of the aisle, some supporters of the hiking criticized the Utah Legislature as people felt about the increased taxation.
Joel Wilson, a former student in the area, sarcastically thanked the Legislature for “bravely leading Utah into the golden age of public education” and then pointed out that Utah is close in terms of every student’s education funding.
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“Lawmakers have managed to do the impossible. They keep taxes low, funds low, expectations low. Indeed, – but wait, it's a plot twist. They essentially represent you doing their dirty work. Hey, hey, hey, we don't want to be politically taxed because it's unpopular, but if you don't want to do it, you can get out locally. “It's not leadership;
“We are clear: it has nothing to do with fiscal conservatism; it's about political cowardice. If they really are for public education, they will fund it. If they don't have the guts to fund it, they should do more to us, to us, teachers, you, to you, to everyone, and not do more every year.
The hearing also invited people who worked in education and begged the board to support educators and students through tax increases.
“Like everyone else, I don't want my taxes to rise. But as a school employee living in the area, we have to pay more to get a raise at the same time. But there really is something to do,” said Todd Barrow, principal of Discovery Elementary School. “You rarely have the opportunity to vote on things that have a real, tangible impact on the best kids in our area and I hope you can take advantage of this opportunity.”
You said this has been trimmed to avoid putting too much burden on taxpayers and that the new proposal costs less than the bonds. This will make taxpayers even more loss. I will now pay almost twice the $38 a month, rather than the nearly $20 on the bonds.
– Chad Kearl
Other residents, such as Chad Kearl, had the hearing felt like the board was “just checking the box” and most members had made up their minds before hearing the news about the residents.
“You're talking about not paying too much for taxpayers, and this new proposal costs less than the bond's expenses. That will cost taxpayers more. Instead of nearly $20 on bonds, I'm going to pay almost twice the $38 a month,” Kearl said. ”
Young City resident Steven Pocock said county residents “can’t afford” tax increases.
“People just decide that they can take money out of my pocket and then spend money on everything they want to do, and that has to stop,” Pocock said.
Board member Karen Cronin, who held the sole vote in opposition to hiking, begging her board members for “respect for the voice of the people” in advance.
“If the plan in the region is different from the one proposed by the bonds, bring it back to the voters. Don't force this 37% tax increase. We need their trust now and we need it in the future. Many of our neighbors have extended the extra work, extra work, skipped health care and worked hard to pay for food and necessities.”
After more than five hours of public comment, the motion to increase taxes was passed by a 5-1 vote.
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