The Assessor is charged with determining full market value for all taxable property and has done what he is charged to carry out. Now Canyon Cities and the County budget writers will have to figure out how to live with the new reality of no increases in property taxes due to the TAX CAP on levy rates. Heretofore, all the assessed value meant was the portion of the budget assigned to your property. And they were allowed to take a 3% increase but not now due to the CAP.
With the CAP in place Caldwell is staring down the barrel of around $1.3 MM in less property tax revenue for City operations and the URA is looking to have about $700,000 in decreased "INCREMENT" to fund URA projects.
Canyon County will have its share of budgetary pain as well, 56% of the county budget comes from property taxes. Canyon County is looking at about a $3.5MM decrease in proeprty taxes this year.
Police and Fire have often been mentioned by Mayor Nancolas as getting nearly all of the property tax revenue to fund these two public services and amounts to about 25% of the city budget. PUBLIC SAFETY accounts for 51%+ of the Canyon County Budget. It will be interesting to see how all this works out over the Summer until budgets are set come August 30th.
My assessed value actually went up a couple of hundred dollars. It is way below what I would ever consider selling it for unless my back was to the wall. Needless to say I am upside down and if given what I know now I would be a full time renter v. owning my own home. You can walk away from a rental whereas a house is not very liquid.
ReplyDeleteMy blood boils every time I drive by the $3M road work across from Flying J truck stop. When I see 8 or 10 city workers standing around texting their sweeties I just want to have a bowl movement!
ReplyDeleteI could not agreem more. Everyone I know has seen their property values tank and most with mortgages are upsidedown. Meanwhile, at Caldwell Central spending money seems to go on without end. When will they no longer be able to pull money out of a mattress to fund things like that expansion project on 20/26. This is going to cost an estimated $3 million bucks and for what and why?
DeleteI never cease to be amazed to see elected officials pull huges wads of cash from God only knows where for all manner of projects and things they really want done. I would like for just one of them to explain in words we can all understand where this cash comes from.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I am pretty fed up with teachers unions and other people on the government payroll complaining about their pay and benefits. Take a good look around folks...You are lucky to have a job. If you don't like the pay then quit and go somewher else.
Why bring up teachers and other government people in this conversation?!! I love how everyone wants their kids to get a quality education, and feel protected from criminals and from fire!! But when it comes to paying for quality you want a Mercedes at the cost of a Kia!!! You get what you pay for and when you don't want to pay you get nothing. I for one am tired of the city finding ways to pay for county buildings we don't need and to fund more parks. But leave the public employee alone. When you were making $25 to $30 an hour you didn't care what they made. But now that your "Free Enterprise" "Right to Work" company cut your job you want to attack those who don't make a lot but have jobs. Guess what, welcome to Idaho you voted for the "right to work" now live with it!
ReplyDeleteGuess what, the Mitt-wit gang wants to pass a "national" Right to Work law. Imagine that.
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ReplyDeleteIn the Nampa School District a first year teacher makes over $40,000 a year including benifits, a tenured teacher at the top of the scale makes over $70,000. That's not bad money for a part time job.Teachers work 185 days a year , the average person with 2 weeks vacation works approx. 250 days. Perhaps you might consider taking your degree out into the real world and see what you can comand in wages and benifits.
Let me ask you this Bob? What is a good teacher worth to you? Regardless of days worked. Better yet how much do you make? And what is your job? Teachers aren't asking for more right now, they are taking less. How long has that $70K a year teacher been teaching, and what would you expect to make if you worked that long in a position? All I am saying is once again we want everything for nothing, the good old American Way!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever stopped to think how much these cops and firefighters are making. Those people are eating steaks and mushrooms, while the rest of us are eating beans and franks.
DeleteThat's the area where the budget cuts need to be made. A big part of our local taxes are going out to fund these people, while the rest of us just keep getting po, and poorer. Kind of a cheap shot to go after a poor old teacher, isn't it, Bob?
Excuse me Mister or Madam teacher. I'm a cop. And no I am not eating steak and mushrooms as you imply and yes we faced budget cuts too but we aren't whining about them. In my department we have lost 10% of our workforce in addition to the pay cuts. Any more cuts have to come out of personnel because there is nothing left to cut but more positions. Unlike you we have no luxury to run supplemental levies and say "But it's for the children". There is no Union, and there is no threatening of lawsuits. We do our job and are thankful we still have them. As Paul keeps stating there are more cuts on the horizon. Everyone is facing a new reality and you are not exempt. I can only dream of making what you do a year much less have the time off you get. If you are making more than $35,000 a year, give thanks to Jesus and count yourself lucky because that's the new reality in Canyon County. You might actually have to pick up some part time work like the rest of us so you can continue to make your house payments. So before you run your mouth again try researching the facts. Over 33% of my property taxes are going to the Vallivue school district. The police/sheriff's department makes up only 8% of my entire property tax bill. Caldwell school district makes up roughly 20% of my dads property tax bill. All I can say to Vallivue school district is Oink Oink. When I was a kid there were close to 35 kids in our classrooms and we got along just fine. You whine if there's more than 25! Quit yer whining and do what you are paid to do or find a new profession.
DeleteI filed a public records request on the issue of firefighter meal costs in Caldwell. The response from Mr. Eljay Waite was they get $0.00 dollars for meals and are responsible for their meal costs while on duty. Exceptions are when the are on scene at a fire or other emergency and food is brought in for this effort.
DeletePaul
Still have to ask the question. Are todays cops being trained to enforce law and order, or are they being trained as a security defense force to protect the local politicians against political dissent? Just throwing out a little food for thought.
DeleteTeachers work for around 180 days per year. Most work a day people work 240 days a year. The average HOUSHOLD income in this area is about $53k per year. $70K for a 180 day work year comes to $388 bucks per day before they take any sick days. This sounds like a pretty attractive rate of pay if true. Read an article a while back that defined a living wage at around $15/hour meanwhile this particular teacher is making about $48.61/hour based on an unheard of 8 hour day where teachers show up at 8AM and are usually gone by 4PM with a paid lunch time as well as a prep period that is paid.
ReplyDeleteTeaching is a important job , but so is plumbing ,picking up the garbage , electrition and any number of other jobs that people with as much or more education and experiance as teachers have do for less pay.Teaching is a job not a holy calling as some would have you belive. Again I say if someone in the employment of any goverment agency feels that they are being mistreated they have the god given right to seek their fortune else where. I think in most cases they would discover they have it better than most in privite business.
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