Iron County To Hold Public Hearing On Proposed Tax Increase

The Iron County Board of Commissioners will be holding a special public meeting on Tuesday, August 15^th. The meeting will be held in Cedar City at Festival Hall, Room 7, at 6PM. The purpose of the meeting is to conduct a public hearing concerning a proposed tax increase to the Iron County General Fund.

If the budget proposal is approved, the Iron County General Fund would increase its property tax budgeted revenue 99.49% above last years property tax budgeted revenue.

Residential property owners with a home valued at $405,000 would see their property tax increase from $186.44 per year to $371.93, an increase of 185.49 per year or $15.46 per month. Tax on a business property of the same value would increase from $338.99 to $676.25 per year an increase of $327.26 per year or roughly $27.28 per month.

In a truth in taxation release the county maintains two reasons for the need of the tax increase. The first reason is the need to build a new Sheriff's Complex and the second reason is listed as inflation. The release points out that Iron County has avoided increasing taxes for over 25 years and over the past 5years has been saving up money to help pay for a portion of the sheriff’s complex. Due to inflation and rising construction costs, the County will need to increase taxes in order to maintain its current level of services and to be able to pay for the new complex.

The current Sheriff's Complex was built in 1987, and is the oldest operating correctional facility in Utah. The current jail is near capacity, and there have been times when prisoners who have been booked have been turned away due to overcrowding.

In addition, the current facility was designed to hold only four female prisoners, while the female jail population now averages about 25. Plus, replacement parts for the facility are generally no longer in production, making it difficult if not impossible to obtain replacements.

There is a reason why counties and local municipalities need to build jail facilities. Jails are short-term holding facilities typically operated at the local level, usually by counties or municipalities. Their primary purpose is to detain individuals who have been arrested and are awaiting trial or arraignment.

Jails also house individuals convicted of minor offenses with short sentences, usually less than a year. These facilities are designed to provide temporary confinement and may offer limited programs or services compared to long-term correctional facilities. Jails are essential for maintaining public safety by holding pre-trial detainees and ensuring they appear in court for legal proceedings.

According to the truth in taxation information, if Iron County does not borrow money to pay for the remaining portion of the jail, then it will never be able to save up enough money for the project due to the negative effects of inflation. The additional revenue will go towards bond payments, jail operating expenses and general operating expenses of the county.

To get more information on the proposed tax increase, residents can call 435-477-8349 or email clerk.group@ironcounty.net . Residents who are unable to attend the public hearing will be able to stream the meeting at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzP7a7p83dJYk9x6Qh-xi3g.