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questionnaire--responses</title></head><body>
<div>Hi Donovan,</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>What you may be referring to is a prohibition on raising user
fees more than 5% without a public hearing. This item is on Monday's
Council agenda:</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="-1">3.</font><font
face="Times New Roman"
size="-2"> </font><font
size="-1"><u> Public Hearing - City User Fee Increases Over 5% - Don
Palmer</u></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="-1">Staff prepared the
proposed FY 2006-2007 Fee Resolution. According to Idaho law, a
public hearing must be held if individual fee increases exceed 5% of
the fees in the previous year. The FY 2007 budget proposal is
based on this Resolution. Increases of 5% or greater include:
water, sewer and sanitation utility fees; all new Community
Development fees; engineering fees; most license fees; Farmers'
Market fees; and all Parks and Recreation's existing, new and
special program fees as detailed on the Resolution.</font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="-1"> </font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"
size="-1"><u>ACTION:</u></font><font size="-1"> Approve the
Resolution; reject the Resolution; or take such other action deemed
appropriate.</font></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>And you're right: If you live in a $300,000 house you are taxed
on less than that due to the homeowner's exemption, now raised to the
first $75,000 of value or 50% whichever is lesser. So, the owner of a
$300,000 owner-occupied house would pay taxes on $225,000 of
value.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Mark</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>At 12:56 PM -0700 8/18/06, Donovan Arnold wrote:</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Thanks Mark,<br>
<br>
I am sure you are correct on most of the information. However, I have
been told by a very reliable source that City governments in Idaho are
not allowed to raise their total budgets by more than 5% regardless of
funding. That 5% does not count schools however, which have their own
line. I know nothing about the 3%, which as I under stand is a
different rule. I am also not sure if the same rule for city
restrictions apply exactly the same for county governments regarding
taxing rates.<br>
<br>
I also know that a person who could sell their house for $300,000 in
Moscow will not be paying taxes for a $300,000, far from it.<br>
<br>
I do agree with a cap on how much you raise property taxes in any
given year. Your explanation regarding how property taxes could rise
quickly in just one year does make sense.<br>
<br>
Best,<br>
<br>
_DJA<br>
<br>
<i><b>Mark Solomon <msolomon@moscow.com></b></i> wrote:<br>
<blockquote>Re: [Vision2020] candidate
questionnaire--responses</blockquote>
<blockquote>Donovan,</blockquote>
<blockquote><br></blockquote>
<blockquote>You've made a mistake quite common in the discussion of
assessed valuation and property taxes. While they are definitely
related, raising assessed valuation (which is required by law to be at
market value: read about what's been going on in Bonner County...)
does not automatically raise property taxes. Taxes are based on a
local governing district's budget levy, set after public hearing by
locally elected officials, and restricted, by law, to not go up more
than 3% annually. For clarity: it is the levy rate that can not rise
more than 3%, not budgets.</blockquote>
<blockquote><br></blockquote>
<blockquote>So, yes, an individual's property taxes could rise
significantly IF:</blockquote>
<blockquote><br></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li>the assessed valuation in a neighborhood or taxing district rose
due to market values generally increasing; AND
<li>the taxing district (city, county, library, highway, school, etc
or any combination thereof) raised its levy rate the full 3% allowed
by law.</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote><br></blockquote>
<blockquote>Practically speaking, it's the school district, followed
distantly by the county and the city that make up the bulk of our
local property taxes. Bonds such as the one for the Moscow Aquatic
Center, approved by the voters for public infrastructure, are the
other major property tax component. The City relies primarily on user
fees (water, sewer, etc) for funding city government.</blockquote>
<blockquote><br></blockquote>
<blockquote>Mark</blockquote>
<blockquote><br></blockquote>
<blockquote>At 3:55 PM -0700 8/17/06, Donovan Arnold wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>This assessor question is built on a
false premise. Property values are not based on real market values,
and thank God they are not, otherwise people would be paying about 4x
as much in taxes. Properties are more assessed based on what the
expenditures of the city/county are and the value of a home( about 1/2
real market value - 50% for property owners on their first home).
Local governments can only raise their budgets 5% a year, not counting
the school district which is separate, so they couldn't legally raise
it to market value anyway, well, at least not and be within state
law.</blockquote>
<blockquote><br>
Best,<br>
<br>
_DJA<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<i><b>Bruce Livingston <livi@turbonet.com></b></i> wrote:<br>
<blockquote>I am fine with both of these questions. BDL<br>
<br>
----- Original Message -----<br>
From: "Art Deco"<br>
To: "Chasuk" ; "Jennifer McFarland"<br>
<br>
Cc: "Bill London" ; "Bruce Livingston"<br>
; "Donovan Arnold" ;<br>
"Barrett Schroeder" ; "Vision 2020"<br>
<br>
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 8:32 AM<br>
Subject: Re: candidate questionnaire--responses<br>
<br>
<br>
> Perhaps we still need work.<br>
><br>
> In deference to Bruce's suggestion of a general question for the
"minor"<br>
> candidates, perhaps a very specific one for each office might be
in order:<br>
><br>
> Examples:<br>
><br>
> Assessor candidates: What procedures should be followed to insure
that<br>
> the assessed value of all properties is as close as possible to
their real<br>
> market value?<br>
><br>
> Coroner candidates: What procedures should be followed in the
event of an<br>
> unattended death or a death where there is even some slight
probability of<br>
> criminal activity?<br>
><br>
> Asking specific office related questions may provide a better
insight into<br>
> a candidates viability.<br>
><br>
> W.<br>
> ----- Original Message -----<br>
> From: "Chasuk"<br>
> To: "Jennifer McFarland"<br>
> Cc: "Bill London" ; "Bruce Livingston"<br>
> ; "Donovan Arnold" ;<br>
> "Barrett Schroeder" ; "Art Deco aka W.
Fox"<br>
><br>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 10:54 PM<br>
> Subject: Re: candidate questionnaire--responses<br>
><br>
><br>
>> On 8/15/06, Jennifer McFarland wrote:<br>
>><br>
>>> If we're all part of a committee to decide which
questions to ask,<br>
>>> shouldn't<br>
>>> we all have input into which people are asked questions
as well?<br>
>><br>
>> Barrett has indicated that he doesn't consider himself a
member of<br>
>> this committee, so that excludes him, but I suggest that we
take an<br>
>> "aye" or "nay" vote on this matter to get
it out of the way.<br>
>><br>
>> Since it is my suggestion, I'll start the ball rolling. I
don't<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>>> really care what a coroner's opinion is about
anything. I care that<br>
>> he performs his job professionally, and I cannot personally
conceive<br>
>> of any questions that I might ask that would help me make
that<br>
>> determination.<br>
>><br>
>> Of course, maybe we should split this into two issues:<br>
>><br>
>> 1. Are you happy with Bill London's list of candidates?<br>
>><br>
>> 2. Are you happy with Bill London's proposed questions?<br>
>><br>
>> I vote "aye" in both instances.<br>
>><br>
>> Everyone else, please respond ONLY this divisive issue.<br>
>><br>
>> Cheers,<br>
>><br>
>> Chas<br>
>><br>
><br>
><br>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
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