City Government
Property Values Sky Rocket In Ada
May 29, 2019 
Rather than go into a lengthy discussion of the tax system, we will offer a simple formula for property tax estimates and provide a forum to share your recent assessment notices.
Property taxes are determined by local government budgets which are limited to 3% increase plus the value of new construction (growth). A levy as a percentage of the assessed value is made to cover the budget.
In Boise the combined levy rate is roughly 1.5% of the assessed value. That means $1500 taxes on $100,000 value.
In the case of the GUARDIAN home, the value increased 50% over the 2018 assessment after the homeowner exemption of $100,000.
To figure the increase percentage, subtract the previous value from the current value and divide by the original number.
For instance an original value of $100,000 increased to $150,000 is a 50% increase.
NOTE: While the above math is correct, the methodology may not be correct. We have had communication with an accountant who says we can expect an eventual tax hike of about 6%. The lower the value of a home, the higher the percentage hike due to the $100,000 homeowner exemption limit.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
May 30, 2019, 6:38 am
If we aren’t going to talk about fairness of the system, then what’s the point?
May 30, 2019, 9:02 am
At a recent work session, ACHD commissioners directed staff to take the 3% increase. I do not think this has been done since Rebecca Arnold has been on the commission. The budget still has to be set and approved, but you can figure another increase coming.
May 30, 2019, 9:03 am
In 2018, my property tax bill was $1620.
In 2019 (just paid), my property tax bill was $2054. (A 27% increase! Was a mistake made? Should it have been limited to 3%?)
I keep hearing it went up more this year. So – maybe $3000 in 2020?
We hardly live in a palace. I’m hoping I can continue to afford the expense; I like my house and don’t want to have to sell it to a rich Californian.)
May 30, 2019, 9:19 am
For us, 15%, which is still a whole lot!
May 30, 2019, 10:28 am
This year our house value went down, but land value went up a whole lot. Last year, both house and land were appraised higher. Such assessment process does not make much sense to me. It seems they can just put arbitrary numbers there.
May 30, 2019, 10:31 am
The Idaho Constitution needs revision. Property taxes should not be relied upon as they are. Alternative revenue streams ought replace this reliance. The tax baseline should be lowered (at least) and once citizens have been contributing for some number of years, plus have reached a certain age (say…60 or so) they should be exempt from further property taxation on primary (and arguably secondary) residences. As I’ve mentioned before on this forum, I’ll never forget the story of an elderly SE Boise man (who I knew personally), who was forced from his lifelong home due to property taxation. This is immoral and a travesty. It’s furthermore sad, that Americans can scarcely afford to retire in their own country, and are seeking life elsewhere due to the relentless charge of Government against our assets.
May 30, 2019, 10:42 am
Using last year’s rates and a taxable value of $300,000 you would have paid property taxes to Boise of $ 1,980 and ACHD at $258. Now if you happen to live in Meridian your City taxes would have been $1,039 ($940 less than Boise taxes).
Yet for those that live outside the areas favored by Bieter and the City Council ask yourself what has the City spent on improvements in West Boise in the last 10 years? Very little. Yes they did Molenaar Park but that was 20 years after the land gift. There was Franklin Park with amenities of one bench and one bike rack. Maybe Franklin Park will get a restroom after the City pays for the cost of overruns for fire stations, a new library and baseball stadium.
Complain about ACHD but at least they make improvements in West Boise. Old farm roads improved to 2 lanes in each direction, Overland, Franklin Road, Ustick, Maple Grove, Five Mile and Cloverdale along with rebuilding every major intersection on Fairview for property taxes of about $20 per month.
In the last few years the City has spent (General Fund money) over $40 million on improvements within 3 miles of downtown. That excludes CCDC and Auditorium District projects. From 2007 to 2018 CCDC collected over $100 million in property taxes and it is easy to project CCDC will collect another $100 million between 2019 and 2024.
May 30, 2019, 11:03 am
Clancy
ACHD has taken the full meal deal 2 or 3 times that I am s aware of. The reason you are unaware of those increases is because your levy went down each time and the resulting ta2c increase was only a verify few dollars. Don’t believe me, check your property tax bill. This year’s increase, if approved, would affect your property taxes a whopping $5 approximately. Adjusted for the rise in construction costs and corresponding decrease in purchasing power, you will see the ACHD budget purchasing millions of dollars less as a result.
I would advise anyone interested in just what ACHD either will our won’t be spending money on next year to get a well thought out set of suggestions to us before it is too late. Those kinds of input are very much appreciated, at least by me.
Thanks to all whose interest and suggestions, as well as attendance occasionally at our meetings, make it easier for decisions to be made.
May 30, 2019, 11:37 am
I recommend that anyone who wants to understand the tax assessment process call the Assessor’s Office in the County in which you live and talk to an appraiser about how the assessment process works and the law that the assessor must follow. The formula that is in the Guardian herein is not complete and, therefore, not accurate.
May 30, 2019, 12:16 pm
Will the Mayor and City Council still seek the annual 3% increase they have been taking each year? Not taking this, or at least reducing the percentage, is THE TOOL they have to provide property tax relief to the citizens. The Mayor/CC do not set the assessed value, and the legislature has set the Homeowner Exemption Cap – which are the other 2 legs on this three-legged stool.
Speak up now – contact the City directly, which one use to be able to do when the City provided the email addresses for all Council Members on the website. The new (less transparent website) has a generic “Contact Us” link.
Mark your calendar and speak up at the budget hearing, especially since this is an election year!
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
May 30, 2019, 2:24 pm
As I’ve told you before, I moved here in 1970 from the Midwest and we bought a 2,750 square foot, brand new home on almost half a acre just one house away from Mountain View Drive for $30,000.00. I don’t even remember what the taxes were, but they were definitely ‘pocket change’.
I moved out to a small place in Northwest Ada County twenty years ago and we were then annexed by the city. I was stunned by the taxes we’ve been paying the last few years. When I retired from the Industrial Commission where I had been doing Workers’ Comp. for twenty-some years, and putting in hours upon hours of over-time to make certain workers were being paid the correct amount by insurance companies, without receiving a single penny for all those extra hours, I was earning $35,000 each year and thought I was rich. Well, so much for being rich !!!
Please do NOT vote for Mayor Beiter and his Cronies this year! We can’t afford it…
May 30, 2019, 4:19 pm
The windfall the City has been receiving from the ever increasing property tax revenue has led to a very lopsided spending outcome. Rather than spend on the “core services” a Municipal Corporation is to provide – which the City seems to have forgotten that these are sanitary, public health, and safety – the City focuses on parks and libraries, claiming these are “core services” too. Even passing a bond to cover safety costs in order to “free-up” public money for the non-core services. “Free-up” is a term used in the City’s own documents.
The City Playbook document shows the need for an additional 32 police officers. The City fire station map shows 5-6 more fire stations needed to provide equal services and coverage within the entire boundary included in the Are of Impact that the City is slowly consuming via annexation.
Yet $40 million was spent on Parks and Culture projects (not personnel) between 2013-2017, according to the CAFR report, while $17 million was spent on fire and police projects. The fire bond funding is separate from this amount, so this may seem like the City has spent a lot on fire, keep in mind that the funding was used to remodel/replace 4 existing stations, not used for wholly new stations providing service to areas outside of the response standard.
At least $12 million has been spent on a whitewater park and it is not finished yet. Plus $5.5 million was needed for toxic cleanup before the project began. Spent $8.9 million on the Bown Crossing library, and it appears that more spending will occur for another park named after a Boise lady, while many other park parcels owned by the City for decades sit in the wings and wait. Inequitable is an understatement.
I have nothing against parks and libraries, but they are icing on the cake and should occur only after the true core services are provided equally to all within the City limits. If the City can not afford to do so, stop annexing land!
If the City can’t afford to green-up and operate more parks, quit accepting donated parcels to name after wives and putting these parcels to the top of the list for funding. If a citizen is going to donate a parcel, when the City claims it can’t afford the parcels that already exist, then make a requirement that states donations must also include donated funding to cover the full cost of greenup, amenities, and an endowment fund to cover the ongoing annual maintenance and operations. Or else the donated parcel drops to the very bottom of the list of existing parcels.
While the City falls woefully behind in core services, the elected representatives are considering spending on a mega-library and sports stadium – this is fiscally irresponsible!
May 31, 2019, 6:51 am
Casmir is right. We need to attack the tax, not just complain about how it’s spent.
May 31, 2019, 2:49 pm
ACHD Cmr Goldthorpe states above, “Adjusted for the rise in construction costs and corresponding decrease in purchasing power, you will see the ACHD budget purchasing millions of dollars less as a result.”
So because of (obvious) inflation you’re purchasing less?
ACHD Capital outlays for
Year 2017 = $46,794,052
Year 2018 = $71,369,000
Year 2019 = $68,573,000
Sure, from 71 million down to 68 million is “purchasing less” but up from 46 to 68 in 2 years, is not LESS!
Let’s consider the one-time, federal grant money in year 2018 (5 million); so, then purchasing is ‘business as usual’.
Go on a drunken spending spree on a Saturday and then don’t spend anything on Sunday = “you will see purchasing LESS as a result” for Sunday. Ha!
Good message.
2017 ACHD Revenue- 96 million
2018 ACHD Revenue- 98 Million
2018 ACHD Projection- 102 Million
A $4 million increase from the prior year 2 million in revenue.
Less? Less what? How about less bs?
And then in typical ACHD attitude: “The reason you are unaware of those increases is because your levy went down.”
The money flowing in, is MORE with less of a levy rate (%), because the BASE is so much more, just as the Guardian is announcing for his residence.
ACHD Budgets:
2016 = $ 98,229,600
2017 = $103,235,200
2018 = $117,859,550
2019 = $129,951,200 Proposed
That doesn’t look like “purchasing millions of dollar LESS” to me, Commissioner.
INSTEAD, it is adding more employees- including 1 more in the Communications Dept- because for some reason paying 5 TV press people is not enough for 1 county agency.
The Capital Projects Division is the ONLY division with less budget in 2019 and that is ONLY because the 5million bump incurred in 2018. Otherwise, ’17 to 18 was an increase and ’18 to ’19 is an increase.
Highway user (fuels tax) funds are UP.
Registration fees are UP.
Development impact fees are same (why?)
And expenses are UP.
Less what? LESS?
Forget the asphalt, go pound sand ACHD!
Jun 2, 2019, 1:59 pm
Mine shot from $219K to $247K…BAM….just like that!
What justifies this? NOTHING. This is the insanity of a Fiat system. Bubble economics. “Easy Credit” malarky. It’s a license to steal for governments and banks and brokers. It’s bad enough with housing shortages in a hot growth region, but the credit system amplifies the problem, immensely.
Prop Taxes coincide with Prop Values. Values become arbitrary. There are true value variables, but bubbles are not legit. They are just inflation mechanisms.
I hate most tax devices. Prop taxes are one of the worst. They don’t let you really “own” your home. You pay a tribute to kings (mayors) to live in your house.
Jun 2, 2019, 9:55 pm
Way to go, Easterner! You sound like a budget guy, or at least someone who can do a deep dive and pull out the number$.