The tax notice says your property taxes are going up 100 percent but don't panic.
A public hearing on a new mechanism to fund the Salt Lake Valley Law Enforcement Service Area is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Unified Police Department, 3365 S. 900 West.
Property owners in unincorporated Salt Lake County, Herriman and Riverton who have paid a flat fee to the Service Area will soon be supporting law enforcement with property taxes instead.
The average homeowner should save about $22, said Kerri Nakamura, administrative aide to Salt Lake County Councilman Jim Bradley. The owner of a house valued at $230,700 will pay $254 under the proposed tax. Under the flat fee rate, the same home owner would have paid $276.
"The tax notice says the property tax is going up 100 percent," Nakamura said. "But it's really a tax shift and most will pay less."
In the past, the fee has also been levied on business owners through business licenses. But under the new system, commercial property owners will pay the tax, rather than their tenants. For businesses who rent or lease, that means they won't pay the fee anymore.
The law enforcement fee for businesses varied greatly across 16 business designations, Nakamura said. Under the tax plan, businesses will pay a levy based on property value.
Christopher Smart
Public hearing
Aug. 2, 6 p.m. at Unified Police Department, 3365 S. 900 West.