THE GUARDIAN has always maintained there is about a 40% difference in property taxation between Ada and Canyon Counties with Ada having the lower levy rates. Today I opened my Gmail to find the following from a Guardian reader, Greg, who researched property taxes based on square foot comparisons between Kohl's Department Store in Meridian at Ustick and Eagle Roads and Kohl's at the Treasure Valley Marketplace.
Here's the data provided by the Ada and Canyon County Assessors:
Kohl's, Nampa Value $6.8MM Value/Sq.Ft $77.29 Taxes/SqFt $1.92 Total taxes $169,295
Kohl's, Meridian Value $7.3MM Value/Sqft $75.66 Taxes/Sqft $1.14 Total taxes $109,101
Difference in property taxation $1.92/$1.14 = 68.4% higher property taxes in Canyon County!
This is just one of many examples of how high property taxation is driving business decisions for companies to locate in Ada County. It is also a stark picture of just how Urban Renewal property taxes are impacting businesses in Canyon County. Nearly all of the property taxes in the Treasure Valley Market Place go to the Nampa Urban Renewal Agency.
This is a great example of the difference in the property tax burden for like businesses in Ada v. Canyon County. We thank Greg for the supporting information for this post.
I recently compared the taxes on 2 3 bed 2 bath homes 1 in Nampa and 1 in Meridian. Theses properties are almost exactly the same sq. footage excetera. The home in Meridian was $1300 per year and the 1 in Nampa was $2200. Where would you buy?
ReplyDeleteI own commercial property in a large Canyon County high tax city. If this lot was located in Ada county, I would build a building on it. Taxes are to high to build in Canyon county.
ReplyDeleteIt is crucial that we elect a new mayor in Nampa! Bob Henry will attempt to put the brakes on this Urban renewal fiasco that Tom Dale has lived off of.
ReplyDeleteTake a drive on any of the main roads in Meridian and Boise and you will see commercial buildings going up. With the exception of the St. Luke's building by COSTCO what else is under construction besides city and county buildings?
ReplyDeleteThese rumors of higher taxes for Nampa and Caldwell are untrue. Mayor Dale has said repeatedly that the only thing Eagle residents have to pay for is the library and both Meridian and Eagle get free streets because the Highway district in Ada county covers everything while Nampa an C aldwell have to provide for their own streets out of the general fund
ReplyDeleteThis fits right along with Mayor Tom saying he uses Urban Renewal to protect people's right to vote. Urban Renewal as we are all finding out is a tool to raise everyones county property tax and it is magically done with no voting by anyone.
DeleteDale is just another smiling talking head that needs to find another job where is line of bull is more appreciated.
Your comment is not accurate. Nampa residence pay a highway tax also, it goes to Nampa Highway District #1. That tax is in addition to the property tax levy.
DeleteAlso, Ada County residence do pay a highway tax to ADHD in addition to their property taxes. If you add the Boise, or Meridian, property tax plus the ACHD tax and compare to Nampa property tax plus Nampa Highway #1 tax, you will find that Nampa's combined rate IS much higher than Meridian or Boise.
Another issue that needs to be looked at is annexation of areas here in Nampa into the city limits. Quite a few of those who lobby Team Tom and Company to keep their properties out of the city limits, but yet they want all the entitlements that Team Tom is creating, need to start paying their fair share, too. Quite a few fancy properties in these areas that could bring in quite a bit of revenue.
DeleteThe 2012 Levy rate for Nampa is 13.93 per $1,000 assessed value
Deletethat rate includes the city levy (11.58) and Nampa Hwy District #1 (1.51)
The 2012 Levy rate for Boise is 9.61 per $1,000 assessed value. That rate includes the Ada County Hwy District (1.287) and the city of Boise (8.316).
The 2012 Levy rate for Meridian is 6.547 per $1,000 assessed value. That rate includes Ada County Hwy District (1.287), Library (.664), the cemetary (.046) and city of Meridian (4.55)
Bottom line: Nampa levy rate 13.93
Meridian levy rate 6.54569
Boise levy rate 9.61
You do the math!
Guess mosquitos aren't the only bloodsuckers in Canyon County
DeleteThank you Bob for setting things straight.
DeleteOne thing about living in the county v. city is city water and sewer. There's nothing like a beautiful home hooked up to a crappy community well full of all manner of things you really don't want to drink and will have to spend a huge amount of money on a reverse osmosis system to get the crud out of the water. Next, is the septic tank, what can I say except they start to fail with the first flush of the toilet. You better be living on very permeable soils or the clay soils will close off and the septic system will back up into the lowest toilet fixture in your home.
ReplyDeleteI used to run across wells that were fed by septic tanks or the septic tank drain field was uphill of the water well head. It may look like water but that is about the limit of what it really is.
I would like to ask Mr. Henery why he supports spending over $30,000,000 on the new library and subsidizing the developer of the old Mercy hospital building at least $350,000 when our property taxes already much higher than nearby cities. Would it not make more sense to apply that money to the general budget until the economy improves? Lets not forget the $17,000,000 that was recently passed by judicial approval rather than a vote of the taxpayers. We are soon to be $80,000,000 in debt in Nampa without any voter approval. It seems we should be given the opportunity to vote on these matters.Take a drive around Nampa and count the vacant buildings of businesses that have closed . We cannot afford these prodjects.
ReplyDeleteThe $30,000,000 being spent at the pivot block is not a City of Nampa project but an Urban Renewal project. The city council approved the formation of the new URD back in 2006, way before I was elected to the council. Regarding the Mercy Hospital project, there has not been a decision made by the council regarding that project.
ReplyDeleteI remember that ordeal. Bob Schmidt was adamently opposed to the plan. He must have had some kind of vision of what was going to happen if it was approved. Unfortunately for some reason or another the special interest goons in this town arm twisted him into voting to approve it. He was viciously defeated in his re-election bid in 2007, he also ran for mayor in 2005.
DeleteI believe that Mr. Henry was quoted in the IPT as saying that he was not in favor of the Mercy project but that he would vote for it , if this is correct it seems like an odd position to take. It also seems wrong to me that a group of people who have not stood for election have totally unfettered access to our tax money. As I stated above we are soon to be $80,000,000 in debt,why do we have a city council if they have no control over how our money is spent? The answer I keep getting is that there's nothing we can do it is out of our control. I guess that's the magic of urban renewal.
ReplyDeletePerhaps if you came to the city council meetings instead of relying on the IPT, you would get an accurate perspective on my position regarding URD.
DeleteWith regard to the county portion of property taxes, what you all seem to be missing in regard to the original topic here is the fact that Ada County has a much higher level of commercial development than does Canyon County. The result is that there is a much lower overall property value to support essential services. Cities in Canyon County? Well, that is another story.
ReplyDeleteI definitely realize that that news media doesn't always if ever report things accurately.But the point of my comment is that we have given control of our tax money to a group of people who answer to no one but the mayor. These plans were made a number of years ago when we were had a totally different economy.Most all business' and taxpayers have seen a significant drop in income over the last few years but "The City" continues to spend money like we have it. We constantly see an increase in the cost of living in or doing business in Nampa and we cannot afford to keep paying the increase. I seem to constantly get told there's nothing we can do about these projects. If our city council cannot control how our money is spent why do we have them?
ReplyDeleteHi Bob,
DeleteYou may want to do more research on the subject of URA accountability; they are accountable to nobody and are subject to no oversight by any state, federal or local entity. They have been granted "wide powers" by the Idaho Legislature and they exercise those wide powers on a regular basis.
The Idaho Legislature set this mess up and it will take action by the Idaho Legislature to stop all the abuses of taxpayers they get away with on a regular basis. So far the Legislature shows little interest in any actions that would limit the "wide poweres" granted to these agencies.
Thanks Paul
ReplyDeleteI Guess it's worse than I thought.
The issue is the urban renewal incremental value (assessment increases) that is removed from the base value. If the urban renewal assessed value was in the tax base, the total tax levy would be less and hence lower taxes. The tax base must provide police, fire and all other govenerment services to the urban renewal properties to which most taxes (incremental value)is going to the urban renewal agency to spend as they please.
DeleteYou have hit the essence of the problems URA's have on local taxing districts. The soltion to the URA problems is: The Legislature makes the laws and it will take the Legislature to fix the problems with URA's.
DeleteSo far over the past five years of efforts the Idaho Legislature has turned a deaf ear to making any changes and the URA lobby headed up by Phil Kushlan (Idaho Assoc. of URA's) has the money and connections to fend off any changes.
The only thing I see this years Legislature doing is firming up the old money talks principle, and absolute refusal to listen to the people. Cronyism is alive and well here in good old boy Idaho.
DeleteGot to get Bob in as mayor and boot urban renewal out!
ReplyDeleteWhich Bob? You know that there are two Bob's running for mayor.
DeleteI will let Mr. Henery be the politician I'm sure he would do a much better job than I.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting city government if one Bob was sitting in the mayors chair, and the other Bob sitting in a city councilors chair.
DeleteIf I am not mistaken there will be 4 city council seats up for election this time around in Caldwell. It would surely be nice to get some fresh faces with some new ideas. It takes someone with some interest and concern for how the city is headed to run for public office. It does not take a lot of cash but it does help in the area of signage costs. Plenty of opportunity here for people who are interested.
ReplyDeleteCaldwell will also have their Mayor up for reelection unless he can wangle a cushy appointment to another area in Idaho State Politics.
I own two commercial properties that are alike in use. Property in Boise is assessed at $624,900 and taxed at $12,046. Property in Caldwell is assessed at $880,000 and taxed at $22842. Using equivalent value, Caldwell taxes are 34.2% higher.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, we then pay federal and state income taxes and payroll taxes. Total tax bite in Caldwell is over 54% of NOI.