Summit County property tax bills are going to be sent out in the beginning of November, as they are each year. What is unique about the process this year is that residents will have two options to receive their tax bill; though standard mail as they have in the past, or they can choose to have them emailed, which hasn’t been an option in previous years. The reason the county has decided to provide the e-mail option (other than the fact that it is 2013!) is that many of the homes in Summit County (especially Park City) are used as second homes or investment properties. The county has experienced difficulty in getting these individuals their tax bills due to the fact that they do not live at these particular residences full time.
In addition to electronically receiving your bill, another new and exciting feature for paying your taxes this year is that Summit County has created a system to pay your taxes on a monthly basis rather than in a lump sum on November 30. They have integrated an EZpay system that allows property owners to choose a monthly amount that is reasonable for their financial situation, and pay it off in a 12-month period (yes, you still have to pay the full amount).
As you may or may not know, Summit County had a Truth in Taxation hearing on August 14, 2013. This meeting was held because the county has proposed a property tax levy increase to make up for the citizen referendum of last year, which forced a budget cut of $6 million going from $52 million to $46 million. This cut forced a $770,000 road project deferral, which will ultimately lead to greater cost when performed at a later date. The Sheriffs Department also experienced a $250,000 budget cut forcing the Sheriffs Department to reduce the number of officers and a decreased efficiency in the justice system as a whole.
During the Truth in Taxation hearing the Summit County emphasized that not all residents will see an increase in their taxes. In fact, many will see a decrease in their taxes. Those that are going to experience an increase are typically going to be in areas that do not have city police departments and require more use of the sheriffs department.
Multiple residents present at the hearing proposed that we market towards and try to get a big-box store such as Costco into the area. This will enable the county to retain the taxes from its own residents who shop at these stores. It will also attract people from other areas who wouldn’t typically come to Summit County, which would strengthen our economy. In addition, being the environmentally friendly town that we are, it would decrease our carbon footprint because Parkites would no longer have to travel as far to stock up on groceries.
In order to receive your property tax bill electronically or to get set up on EZpay, please visit summitcounty.org or contact Corrie Forsling at cforsling@summitcounty.org or (435) 336-3267.
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Dean D. DeLeone
Buyer's Specialist, The Wilstein Team
Keller Williams Park City Real Estate
1750 Sun Peak Dr.
Park City, UT. 84098
(c) 435-602-9093
(w) 435- 487-0151
(f) 435-487-9416
Dean@TheWilsteinTeam.com
