Or a promise to use the 3% to begin correcting the inequities in services and amenities throughout the City, rather than just helping the City staff afford the cost of living increases that have occured due to growth and being the most popular kid in the country.

Foregone Property Tax Levies—Idaho Code 63-802 (1)(e)

When a city chooses to levy less than the maximum allowed by law, the foregone amount accumulates and the city may add all or part of the foregone amount to its levy in any subsequent year. The city may increase its property tax levy by the foregone amount, plus any additional property tax increases permitted by law (including the 3 Percent Cap, plus new construction and annexation). There is no requirement for an election for recovering foregone levies; however, House Bill 474, passed by the 2016 Idaho Legislature, does set forth a process to be followed when a city uses foregone levying authority. First, the city council must adopt a resolution stating the governing board’s intent to use the foregone levying authority, the amount of foregone revenue to be included in the tax levy for that fiscal year, and the purpose for which the foregone revenue will be used. The governing board is also required to publish notice and hold a hearing on the foregone levy, which may be done in conjunction with the published notice and hearing on the annual budget. The resolution and public hearing must be done before the city certifies its property tax levy to the county using foregone levying authority. The city clerk must file a copy of the resolution with the county clerk and the Idaho Tax Commission. House Bill 474 takes effect July 1, 2016.

BOISE CITY BUDGET DATES
June 14 – Release draft budget
June 25 – Budget Workshop @ 8:00am
July 16 – Public hearing
July 23 – First budget reading
Aug 20 – Second budget reading
Aug 27 – Third budget reading

During those past five years they realized revenue surpluses while increasing budgets and therefore taxes. At last years budget hearing it was pointed out that having revenue surpluses while raising taxes was embarrassing, so the city would change the way they make revenue projections so surpluses are not apparent.

If wondering where the money goes, the City in February granted policemen a 4.5% increase retroactive to Oct. 1 and approved another 4.5% effective this coming Oct.1. Firemen got a 3.5% retroactive raise withe another 3.5% this next Oct. 1.

And remember the 10 million they recently transferred to a new affordable housing account? Funny how the growthaphiles have caused folks to be priced out of housing and then obligate taxpayers to “solve” the problem.

The City could adjust it to a 1.5% amount every other year and City staff would have to cut back on their lifestyle just as the rest of us our doing while our tax burden increases.

For the past decade or so, Boise City has been taking the maximum allowable annual increase of three percent of assessed value plus growth (I’m not sure how growth is factored). Yet, the city is unable to keep up: Boise is out of compliance with emergency-response standards, especially in newly annexed areas like NW Boise. It’s either not collecting enough in impact fees or squandering our tax money on lower priority projects: Stadium? Library!—or both.

ACHD, for instance, has resisted taking the max hike but may have to in the near future to keep up with growth. I don’t know about the other districts.

A couple things exacerbate the situation for residential taxpayers. The maximum, homeowner’s exemption has been stuck at $100,000 for a decade; so homeowners are increasingly subsidizing commercial and industrial property owners. Also, the city’s growing appetite for urban “renewal” districts forces taxpayers in other areas to subsidize the growth in those districts. About 3,000 acres were added to CCDC this past year or so.

EDITOR NOTE–True on all counts. While the LEVY RATES” have actually gone down in some years, the overall tax bill of residents almost always increases. Growth does not pay for itself.

This is just crazy! Wages here certainly aren’t increasing at this rate. I wonder if I will be able to retire in the house that I love, or if I’ll be forced to sell it because Ada County will have pinched too much from my wallet.

And, what am I getting for this 28% tax increase? More traffic? More crime? More homeless people? And many other big city problems.

No thanks.

These prices are NOT reflective of the correct value that they should represent. Printed $$ by the Central Bank model has artificially exploded the price of property. Unless you have an income that is also inflated by this artificial system, then you are forced to accept this scam. If you can’t afford to buy into this scam, then you pay exorbitant rent to the same scam. IF we had a truly free market and sound currency system, this scam would never have survived its first breath. It has had decades to create its own facade as a legit practice, allowing politicians to exploit the ramifications for their own means and ends. Today, socialism is the mantra to “fix” the problems. More government largesse. AOC gets the megaphone.

As a former Leftist, I can see how people swallow all this up with a giant spoon. Oh, so clever.

RE the farmers’ dilemma. The model I describe created the situation that force farmers to give up their noble industry at the small scale and play the same damned game. This leaves food production to the mega farms that write the rules to protect themselves. Evensen plays a tired canard trick to dismiss the argument presented. Not gonna work on me, buddy. I’ve seen all the tricks and I don’t fall for them anymore.