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House committee sends Senate Bill 12 16 to floor after members agree on assessment-ratio compromise
Summary
The House Revenue and Tax Committee voted to send Senate Bill 12 16 to the full House with a “due pass” recommendation. The bill implements an agreement on property assessment ratios, including a new requirement that tested property types be within five percentage points of each other.
The House Revenue and Tax Committee voted Thursday to send Senate Bill 12 16 to the House floor with a due-pass recommendation after members debated language tying property assessment ratios across types.
Representative Jeff Ehlers, District 21 of Meridian, presented the bill and described it as a carryover from earlier trailer and House bills. "This is the portion that came out of House Bill 3 54 related to the assessment ratios," Ehlers said, adding the Senate amended parts of the measure and the committees had returned to an agreement reached with counties and the tax commission.
The bill, as presented, restores assessment ratios to the levels set in earlier legislation and adds a new provision requiring that "those properties that are tested have to be within 5 percentage points of each other," Ehlers said. He illustrated the change: "So for example, if your residential is at 98% of market value, then commercial needs to be plus or minus 5, so 93 to 103."
Representative Jim Ayers responded to a committee question about how counties test market value in a non-disclosure state by explaining counties' access to listing data. "Almost all counties have an agreement with the realtors to have access to MLS data. So it's not disclosed to the government, but they do have an agreement," Ayers said.
Committee members made a procedural motion to send the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. Representative Jeff Ehlers moved the motion; a second was called for but the transcript does not record who seconded it. The committee approved the motion by voice vote. "That motion passes. Senate Bill 12 16 stands introduced, and we will send it to the floor with a due pass recommendation," the chair said.
The discussion referenced earlier measures that produced the current compromise: a trailer bill numbered 435 (later 479, per the presenter) and House Bill 354. The presenter described the current language as the agreement reached with counties and the state tax commission; the committee did not amend the bill during the meeting.
The committee concluded its work for the day after the vote and said it would remain at the call of the chair if further action is required.
