An important property tax fairness point...

that I forgot to mention.

The residents of the unincorporated areas currently pay $350,000 in property taxes. The sales tax revenue the county was using to offset the burden for the incorporated residents was $700,000. It reportedly costs $1,500,000 to service the area.

350+700=1,050. Where is the other $450,000 currently coming from?

I think it's coming from the portion that city residents pay to the county.

And, even if the unincorporated resident's taxes are doubled, the revenue gathered will be $700,000. Where will the other $800,000 come from?

Can someone clarify all this?

Unincorporated residents still getting a bargain, at our expense

I have been really bothered by something I read in the Clipper a few weeks ago.

In an article published on August 21st, entitled "Taxes may double for non-city residents," reporter Tom Busselberg states that, "The relative tax bargain that has been in place for the 2,500 people living in unincorporated Davis County likely will go away within the next year." The reason? The county has been using sales tax money to reduce the tax burden of unincorporated residents. The problem? Some of that sales tax money was supposed to go to cities instead of the county. The state has found the mistake, and is correcting it.

Apparently, it costs $1.5 million to service the unincorporated areas of the county. Currently, those areas pay $350,000 in taxes. The tax burden of unincorporated residents has always been much less than the burdens from the adjoining cities. That's why, even though state law says that these areas should incorporate, they don't want to. Who wants to pay more taxes?

The problem? The obscenely low and unfair amount that unincorporated residents are paying. The article states, "Even if the current property tax rate were doubled, it would be less than that charged to homeowners in Layton and Fruit Heights, among other communities."

How much of the tax that city residents pay to the county is currently being used to benefit the unincorporated areas?

My solution? Incorporate the unincorporated areas. Including the Chevron refinery, which is paying the low county rate instead of the fair North Salt Lake rate.