by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports
The House Revenue & Taxation committee moved forward a bill Monday to increase transparency in property tax valuations.
The bill would direct the state tax commission to create a standardized form for assessment notices including the previous two years’ market value, property tax amount, and property tax increase or decrease for the property. It would also include each taxing district’s phone number and budget hearing date.
“This is an effort to show taxpayers what they’re actually paying for when they’re writing their checks,” Blanksma said.
The committee sent the bill to the floor with a do-pass recommendation, but introduced a trailer bill that would delay its implementation to January 1, 2024.
“The assessors were concerned that they couldn’t get everything together in time to do it immediately,” Blanksma said.
Also Monday, Rep. Jack Nelsen, R-Jerome, presented a bill that would add recreation districts to the list of governmental entities that are able to enter into development impact fee agreements.
“Talking to Rep. [Bruce] Skaug, he thought this was already done a couple years ago when they added ambulance districts to the list. Apparently, it was an oversight,” Nelsen said.
Idaho has a special property tax reduction available to fully disabled veterans. Rep. Josh Tanner, R-Eagle, presented a bill that would enable them to apply for the program only once rather than each year.
The House committee voted to introduce both bills.
Across the rotunda, the Senate State Affairs Committee introduced a bill from Sen. Kelly Anthon, R-Burley, that would raise eligibility for the circuit breaker program to assist more low-income residents.
The circuit breaker program is available to pay a portion of property taxes for some people such as seniors, widows and people with disabilities. Lawmakers in 2021 added an asset test that disqualifies homes above a certain value.
“I think inadvertently it actually disqualified a lot of Idahoans who really need it,” Anthon said.
The bill introduced Monday would raise the maximum income cutoff from $31,900 to $37,000 and increase the maximum home value from 150% to 250% of the county median.
Anthon said there are a lot of property tax issues right now. “That is particularly the case of the vulnerable Idahoans who are protected by the circuit breaker.”
He added the bill wouldn’t put everyone who was kicked off the circuit breaker back on the program.
Melissa Davlin contributed to this report.
Logan Finney | Associate Producer
Logan Finney is a North Idaho native with a passion for media production and boring government meetings. He grew up skiing, hunting and hiking in the mountains of Bonner County and has maintained a lifelong interest in the state’s geography, history and politics. Logan joined the Idaho Reports team in 2020 as a legislative session intern and stayed to cover the COVID-19 pandemic. He was hired as an associate producer in 2021 and they haven’t been able to get rid of him since.
