OGDEN -- Weber County commissioners say they must nearly double the county's property taxes to raise the money needed to operate the county's new 880-bed jail.
If approved, the move would make Weber the state's highest taxed county.The hike would raise the county share of taxes on a $110,000 home by 72 percent, to $307. That is $129 more than the current rate of $178.
The Utah Taxpayer Association quickly denounced the proposal, saying it would make taxes so high that businesses and residents would be driven away.
"There just comes a point where Ogden residents are going to say enough is enough," Taxpayer Association Vice President Greg Fredde said Wednesday.
"They're clearly going in the wrong direction when it comes to tax policy."
The tax hike would add $10.3 million to the $14.3 million the county now raises in property taxes. The county needs $9 million a year to operate the new jail.
Fredde said Weber County's current tax rate is the fifth highest in Utah. The proposed increase "would clearly put Weber County, by far, having the highest tax rate."
He said the tax hike will be a double burden for Ogden residents. They already have the highest city property tax rate in the state, he said, and the fourth highest school property tax.
"So if you're living in Ogden City, you're being asked to carry a tremendous burden."
A public hearing on the tax hike will be held Dec. 15. By law, the commissioners must approve the county's 1999 budget that night.
The commissioners have been working on the budget for several months. Wednesday's hearing notice was the first official word that a tax hike was being considered.
The tax hike would also cover $4.1 million for the new jail and other public safety costs, $3.2 million for storm water controls, $1.3 million for new library construction, and $1.3 million for a new animal shelter, new road equipment and fixing the county's Year 2000 computer problems.