Bonneville taxpayers to see lower levies

Bonneville County Commissioners have set property tax levies for Fiscal Year 2018. The numbers will be sent to the Idaho State Tax Commission for review and final approval. Tax levies are calculated by dividing taxing district budgets by the taxable value of property in the district.

Earlier this year, after an appeal deadline expired in July, the Idaho tax commission ordered the county to raise property values on irrigated agricultural property to bring it into line with values in neighboring counties.

Bonneville County Assessor Blake Mueller says that change will increase the values of irrigated agricultural land by 20 percent to 316 percent this year. The increased valuation will add about $40 million to the county’s total $6.8 billion taxable property value.

The net result will be a slightly lower tax levy for most property taxpayers. However, farmers will pick up more of the overall tax burden.

Because they’ll have a bigger base, almost all of Bonneville County’s taxing districts will see levies slightly below or very near last year’s levels.

The only new levy will be that of the new Community College District in support of the College of Eastern Idaho. That district will come in at exactly the promised level of $15 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.