The board's regular meeting on Wednesday, July 11, Box Elder School District Business Administrator Ron Frandsen made a case to the board why the increase to the State of Utah's certified tax rate, which would increase the district's current tax rate by .000283, from 008442 to .008725 percent, was necessary.
What's ultimately to blame for the necessity of the increase is a stagnant economy and depressed property values that have led to decreased tax revenues from across the state, according to district Superintendent Ronald Wolff. The Utah State Tax Commission increased the basic school levy to compensate for the reduction in revenue and districts must abide by the increase if they want to participate in the state's equalization program, which reallocates money from more wealthy districts to needier ones.
It was also explained the district is dealing with a new property tax financing structure. This year, in an effort to simplify school district budgets, the State Legislature reduced the number of line items districts could specifically levy taxes for. As a result, some property tax revenue is accounted for in different funds than in the past. Box Elder News Journal
