Bannock County Commissioners call on other tax entities to keep budgets in check

POCATELLO – Bannock County Commissioners held a press conference Friday calling on other tax entities in the county to keep budgets down.

This is in response to the Bannock County assessor raising property values to market value, which is in line with Idaho law.

“Increased tax revenue is not an excuse to increase government spending,” says Bannock County Commissioner Terrell Tovey.

RELATED: Bannock County residents furious over high property assessments

Friday’s press conference was a lecture directed at other tax entities. The commissioners said the county will make deep budget cuts.

“We are calling upon the mayors, the city councils and the members of taxing boards to do the same,” says Tovey.

This comes days after property assessments went up for many in Bannock County.

“Mine went up $33,000, my daughter’s went up $44,000, a neighbor’s went up $84,000,” says 40-year Bannock County resident Juanita Bailey.

“That’s not free money. That’s money that belongs to the taxpayers,” said Commissioner Steve Brown.

Bannock County has not yet set its tax rate. That number is determined by a taxing entity’s budget, divided by the total value of assessed property in the county.

If budgets stay low, so do tax rates, commissioners say.

“I will believe it when I see it,” says Bailey.

For Pocatello residents, the county takes about 26 percent of property taxes. The city of Pocatello takes around 53 percent and School District 25 takes around 18 percent.

The county and school district take about the same from Chubbuck residents, and the city of Chubbuck takes around 49 percent.

In response to Friday’s press conference, Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad said,

“The city council and I are very aware of how the city’s budget when applied to the county’s valuation numbers impacts our levy rate. Your city leaders make every effort to balance our responsibilities and the services requested by our residents with the need to keep taxes as low as possible.”

Chubbuck Mayor Kevin England said,

“Chubbuck is always careful with our budget. I can’t think of anything stronger than our budget.”

England also added that the county could have done a lot more to stop the firestorm through the property assessment process.

And as the politics play out, Bailey and other residents continue to worry about possible property tax increases.

“People like myself, we’re widowers on a fixed income, we can’t afford that,” Bailey says.

Local government budgets can only expand by 3 percent per year, which commissioners say would be the worst case scenario for taxpayers.

You can now find your estimated property tax by clicking here.

This story was first published by KPVI. It is used here with permission.