The Utah State Tax Commission gave a presentation and explanation to the many citizens gathered in the Emery County Commission chambers on Tuesday afternoon.
Three representatives from the state presented the different areas of involvement that create the increased property assessments and larger-than-usual taxes. The first explanation dealt with the decreases in centrally assessed valuations. They included the mining, oil and gas, utility and transportation entities. They stated the purpose of the assessments is to determine the fair market value.
The large utility company in Emery County, PacifiCorp, had its value decreased substantially because of an increase in interest rates, the allocation of total PacifiCorp total value and the apportionment to counties of PacifiCorp’s value. Emery County’s property taxes increased because the centrally assessed values went down and also because the assessed values of property have risen sharply.
Several citizens had questions and remarks. Generally the questions revolved around what can we do, how can we avoid this situation, or it seems unfair. Citizens were reminded that there are assistance programs available if applied for before expiration date. Contacting the county assessor’s office at (435) 381-3540 will make these available to those who qualify.