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Tooele County Board of Equalization approves settlements with major commercial taxpayers
Summary
The Tooele County Board of Equalization voted unanimously March 11 to approve settlement agreements resolving property tax appeals with major commercial taxpayers including Walmart, Clean Harbors and Energy Solutions; specific dollar totals were not provided at the meeting.
The Tooele County Board of Equalization on March 11 approved settlement agreements between the assessor’s office and several large commercial taxpayers, resolving appeals that in some cases reach back to 2018. The board voted unanimously to approve the settlements after the county auditor described the agreements as the result of several years of work.
The county auditor, acting as clerk of the Board of Equalization, told commissioners that “what you have before you represents 7 years of work” and that assessor’s office staff had negotiated values with commercial partners so both sides “feel[ ] is fair.” The auditor said the settlements helped resolve cases that had been appealed to the State Tax Commission and in some instances were moving toward litigation before the assessor’s office negotiated agreements.
The settlements name several large taxpayers, including Walmart, Clean Harbors and Energy Solutions, the auditor said. The auditor did not provide a single total for all settlements at the meeting; when asked about the total dollar amount, one commissioner estimated “at least 700,000, I guess.” The auditor said the packet lists amounts for each year but that she had not added them together before the meeting.
The auditor also said the county requires taxpayers to pay in good faith in some instances and that, where partners had paid, the county would be issuing refunds. The board’s discussion emphasized the technical difficulty of valuing the involved properties; the auditor and commissioners noted a lack of close comparables for businesses such as Clean Harbors and Energy Solutions.
Councilman Hoffman moved to approve the settlements; Councilman Thomas seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote. Councilman Thomas offered praise for the auditor and assessor’s offices and thanked the commercial stakeholders for working toward a resolution: “Big shout out to everybody in the cooperation. We appreciate that,” he said.
The Board of Equalization portion of the meeting began at 6:47 a.m. and was adjourned at about 6:52 a.m.; the commission then proceeded to the regular council meeting scheduled to start at 7:00 a.m. The board did not read a consolidated total for refunds or individual settlement terms into the record during the public portion of the meeting.
