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Davis Mosquito Abatement district proposes $1 million property tax boost for facility expansion
Summary
Davis Mosquito Abatement District is proposing a property tax increase that would raise roughly $1 million a year to pay for a $9.2 million facility renovation, rising pesticide costs and expanded operations. Clinton Council Member and county liaison Marie Doherty reported the proposal and detailed the impacts on average properties and next steps.
Marie Doherty, Clinton City Council member and liaison to the Davis Mosquito Abatement District, told the council on Oct. 28 that the district is proposing a property tax increase expected to generate about $1,000,000 annually.
"It's a $7.92 per year increase on the average residential property, and a $14.40 increase per year on an average valued business property," Doherty said, adding that that equals about 66 cents per month for the typical homeowner. She said the change represents a 26.18% increase above last year's budgeted revenue, excluding new growth, and that the district will hold a public hearing Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in Kaysville.
Doherty said the district seeks the revenue primarily to fund a renovation and expansion of a 27-year-old pesticide storage building and to increase locker-room and laboratory space. She said the project could result in an approximately $9,200,000 construction cost to be financed over a 15-year loan, producing roughly $855,000 in annual debt service. Doherty said the district also faces higher operating costs, including expanded drone spraying, seasonal staffing increases and more expensive adulticide products.
"It used to cost $75 per gallon for the current product that they've been using," Doherty said. "They're using a new product . . . $295 per gallon for the new product." She said the district hopes the new product's use will restore effectiveness of older products over time, but that the immediate cost increase is substantial.
Council members raised concerns about the cumulative tax burden on Clinton residents from county and special-district levies and discussed the need for Clinton to present a clear case for any local funding requests in the coming budget cycle. One member noted that although the percent increase is large, the per-household dollar increase is relatively small compared with other local taxes.
Doherty said the district's board debated lower and higher proposals and ultimately voted to proceed with the larger amount so the district could retain flexibility for potential additional needs, including a possible airport-hangar buyout under consideration by district leadership. She said members at the district meeting who preferred a smaller immediate increase hoped the board could scale back at the formal tax hearing.
No vote was taken by the Clinton council; Doherty made the statutorily required report so the city could be publicly informed and so residents know how to attend or testify at the Dec. 11 hearing in Kaysville.
The district's proposal will move to the district's formally noticed hearing where taxpayers can comment and the district can revise the request before final adoption.
