County leaders hold tax levy
Commissioners decline to take 3 percent increase law allows
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
Blaine County leaders Monday declined to increase local property taxes by the 3 percent allowed under Idaho law and also declined to levy for $164,156 they left on the table in the 2003 tax year.
The vote by the Blaine County Commission was unanimous and instituted a $73.17 per $100,000 of property value levy. With the increase, the levy would have been $77.37 per $100,000 of property value.
?I won?t support, this year, even raising 3 percent,? said Commission Chairman Dennis Wright. ?This is not going to short any budget line item, no. And that?s what my argument has been: Why would we collect it if we don?t have anywhere to spend it??
Although the vote was unanimous, Commissioner Sarah Michael two weeks ago indicated her interest in approving the 3 percent increase, which would have amounted to $177,144.
Michael said she came around to the idea that, until the county makes a decision about the need for a new county jail, there is no reason to levy additional money. Voters will be asked in a Nov. 2 advisory vote if they support the county?s effort to save money to later build a new jail, consolidated dispatch center and sheriff?s office.
?Until we make a decision about the new jail, we don?t need to take the tax levy,? Michael said. ?Since we don?t have an immediate need for the funds, we?d just assume have it in the taxpayers? pockets.?
During the Sept. 15 meeting, Michael and Wright disagreed, but Commissioner Mary Ann Mix, who was absent at the prior meeting, voiced her opposition to the increase on Monday.
?I agree with Dennis that if we don?t need it, why are we levying for it,? Mix said.
The move effectively reduced the county?s fiscal 2004-2005 budget by $341,300, leaving the 2005 3 percent increase and a 2003 3 percent increase on the table.
Counties are allowed by law to go back and collect increases they did not levy for in prior tax years, Blaine Clerk Marsha Reimann said. They may not, however, apply the percentage increase to the increased property values.
Reimann said this year?s increase would have gone to the county?s ?current expense? account, which funds day-to-day operations of the county government. Money in that account that is not spent each year is forwarded on to the next year and is considered surplus, or reserve funds.
?It?s because I don?t believe we needed it to fund this budget,? Wright said. ?I don?t think our job ought to be collecting moneys in order to build a savings account. You need reserve funds, but we have some, more than adequate.?
Reimann indicated earlier this year that the county?s reserve is about $4.9 million. And Wright said the county has a total of about $8 million in cash investments the county has made, including Certificate of Deposits and government accounts. Those accounts include at least part of the $4.9 million reserve fund.
What?s more, the county does not have access to all of its accounts, Wright said.
?The biggest amount of moneys that the county has are in the state pool, which is run by the Idaho Treasurer,? he said. ?I don?t want the public to fall into, ?Well if you have $8 million, you don?t need anything.? That?s not where this conversation should go.?
