For now, Joe and Jane Utahn must still usher support or opposition for a property tax increase at a "truth-in-taxation" meeting, not at the polls.
A bill backed by the conservative chairmen of a legislative committee that would have changed that failed to gain backing Wednesday at a monthly meeting of the Utah State Legislature; so local school boards, cities and special service districts can still raise property taxes if officials hold the appropriate hearings and advertise the tax increase as required by law.Opponents of the bill said lawmakers were trying to "micromanage" and turn the Legislature into a "super school board."
Bill backer Sen. Steve Poulton, R-Holladay, said he was just trying to monitor high property tax rates so the widows in his district wouldn't be forced out of their homes.
But Patrick Ogden, associate superintendent of the Utah State Office of Education, told the committee it would send a "terrible message" to local officials if it supported the bill.
"You're saying, 'We don't trust you.' You're taking away the taxing authority."
The majority of committee members agreed, voting down the bill in an eight to seven vote.
The bill had the support of committee chairmen Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, who is also head of the Utah Taxpayers Association, and Rep. Ray Short, R-Holladay.
The bill would have reinstated the requirement that a school district, city or town or special service district that wanted to raise property taxes would have to do so through a vote of the people rather than through the current "truth-in-taxation" process now in place.
As it stands, if the Granite School District wants to raise property taxes it must notify local newspapers and advertise a "truth-in-taxation" hearing before school board members. Members of the public are also notified through county tax statements mailed to their homes.
Joe or Jane Utahn can testify at that hearing. The school board will then vote on the tax increase.
A parade of educators and advocates for local cities and towns spoke against the bill.
Susan Kuziak, executive director of the Utah Education Association, said if Utahns don't like the decisions of their school board members, they can vote them out of office. "I think this would be a very adverse thing for the public schools," Kuziak said of the changes posed in the bill. "We have to trust in our elected officials."
"Truth in taxation is working well," added David Spatafore of the Utah League of Cities and Towns, while noting several problems with the concept of the bill.
He said Utah must be careful not to send divergent messages to the new businesses Utah officials try to recruit. On one hand, Spatafore says, Utah touts its low property taxes. "Now we say property taxes are a problem and we can't trust our public officials?
"We must be consistent with our rhetoric."
But Poulton told the committee there is a real problem with what people perceive as runaway property tax increases.
And although most public officials are elected by the public, "I have yet to run into one that says, 'I'm going to raise property taxes.' No one campaigns that way." Poulton said, adding that "mega-powerful" special interest groups influence local boards and councils to raise taxes.
It's better to have each tax increase, above the state certified rate, approved by voters, he said. "We say politicians make decisions, but what about the people?"