After Box Elder County residents in November 2024 struck down a $220 million bond proposal that would’ve gone toward various district improvements that included new builds and renovations, the Box Elder School District was forced to look for another avenue to secure funds.
That came just after midnight early Thursday via a 37.2% property tax increase approved by the district’s board.
The move is expected to cost the average homeowner in the county an extra $343 a year. For business owners, the increase is an extra $624 a year.
The increased funds, the board said, will be used exclusively for two things: increasing employee compensation by 2% and addressing building improvement needs, which include building a new elementary school in the West Tremonton area and adding on to both Bear River and Box Elder high schools.
In a Truth in Taxation presentation before public comment, district business administrator Neil Stevens said part of the strain on the district’s budget comes from legislative requirements that don’t have funding attached.
“The Legislature loves to pass new laws. Last year, they passed 57% of the laws they proposed for education. That imposes new requirements on us. That imposes new reports, (and) oftentimes it does not come with new funding,” Stevens said. “Sixty percent of our new requirements do not have funding attached to them. The state puts a requirement on us. We have to fund it somehow, and oftentimes, the answer is property taxes.”
During the public comment period of the hearing, Rep. Tom Peterson, R-Brigham City, responded to those concerns, saying the Legislature is doing “everything we can for education.”
“In 2022, the allocation that we had for Box Elder County was $96.8 million; in 2026, the allocation is $131 million. That’s an increase of almost 40% in five years,” Peterson said. “I want to make sure that the public knows that we’re funding education at record levels. And I get that you have to deal with things on your level, as well, but we’re doing our best to fund public education.”
While the hearing included a healthy dose of opinions on both sides of the aisle, when it came to how people felt about a tax increase, some in support of the hike also took to criticizing the Utah Legislature.
Joel Wilson, a former student in the district, sarcastically thanked the Legislature for “bravely leading Utah into the golden age of public education” before pointing out that Utah is near the bottom of the nation in terms of per-pupil education funding.
“Lawmakers have managed to do the impossible. They kept taxes low, funding lower, and expectations lowest of all. Bravo, really, — but wait, here’s the plot twist. They’ve essentially deputized you to do their dirty work. They’ve said, ‘Hey, we don’t want to raise property taxes because that’s politically unpopular. But if you school boards locally want to do that, knock yourselves out.’ That’s not leadership; that’s passing their grenade and pulling the pin on the way out,” Wilson said.
“Let’s be clear: This is not about fiscal conservatism; this is about political cowardice. If they were really for public education, they would fund it. If they don’t have the guts to fund it, they should say that to us, to parents, teachers, to you, to everyone who is doing more with less every single year. They shouldn’t sit on Capitol Hill pretending that everything’s fine while you guys have to face the fire at these Truth in Taxation hearings.”
The hearing also featured those working in education, pleading with the board to pass the tax increase to support educators and students.
“Like others, I don’t want my taxes raised. But it’s kind of funny that, as school employees who live in the district, we would have to pay more to possibly get a raise at the same time. But something does need to be done,” said Todd Barrow, principal at Discovery Elementary School. “As a board, you have a rare opportunity to vote on something that will have real, tangible impact on what’s best for kids in our district, and I hope you take advantage of this opportunity.”
Other residents, like Chad Kearl, said the hearing felt like the board “just checking the box” and that most members had already made up their minds before hearing from residents.
“You say this is trimmed back to not put too much burden on the taxpayers, and that this new proposal costs less than the bond would have. It is going to cost the taxpayers more. Instead of the nearly $20 from the bond, I will now pay nearly double that of $38 a month,” Kearl said.
Steven Pocock, a Brigham City resident, said county residents “cannot bear” the tax increase.
“People just decide that they can take money out of my pocket and spend it for whatever they’d like to do and that’s got to stop,” Pocock said.
Board member Karen Cronin, who cast the lone vote in opposition to the hike, pleaded with her fellow board members beforehand to “respect the voice of the people.”
“If the district has a different plan than what was proposed on the bond, take it back to the voters. Do not force this 37% tax increase on them. We need their trust now, and we will need it in the future. Many of our neighbors are already stretched thin, working extra jobs, skipping medical care and struggling to pay for food and necessities,” Cronin said.
After over five hours of public comment, the motion to increase taxes was passed in a 5-1 vote.