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Canyon County adopts $156.46 million FY2025 budget and $58.86 million tax levy
Summary
The Canyon County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a $156,462,033 fiscal year 2025 expenditure budget, approved a $58,864,985 property tax levy (including $591,748 in foregone), and authorized related district budgets and L2 tax worksheets. An added prosecutor position will be available Jan. 6.
The Canyon County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the county’s fiscal year 2025 expenditure budget, a package the board described as flat overall but adjusted to account for ARPA-funded capital projects and designated revenues.
The board adopted a $156,462,033 county expenditure budget that includes $317,778 for the Canyon County Pest Control District and $12,000 for the Melba Gopher District. The board also approved a FY2025 property tax levy of $58,864,985, which includes $591,748 of available foregone increases for ongoing maintenance and operations. The resolutions to adopt the expenditure budget, the foregone amounts and the property tax levy passed by unanimous voice vote.
"It does not equate to an increase in taxes," said Speaker 1 when describing the addition of newly assessed value to the tax base and the county’s accounting treatment of the revenue. The board clarified that some of the larger dollar changes are accounting entries tied to specific, identified projects rather than an across-the-board tax rate increase.
The board discussed three major capital projects earmarked for ARPA funding, which Speaker 1 and others said do not come from direct property-tax dollars. Those projects include a county warehouse the board said will save about $56,000 per year, a new elections building intended to expand voting and training space, and a planned sheriff’s administration building on the corner of Albany and Eleventh to address cramped facilities.
Clerk/audit staff (Speaker 3) told the board it had included a reserve contingency under current expense to cover emergent needs during the fiscal year; appropriating those reserve funds would require a unanimous vote of all three commissioners. Speaker 3 also said the state tax commission clarified rules on first-year occupancy tax revenue, and the county budget includes a modest $500,000 estimate of that revenue for FY2025.
Staffing changes were part of the package. During the motion to approve the tentative budget, commissioners agreed to include a senior chief deputy position in the prosecuting attorney’s office with a start date of Jan. 6; Speaker 4 seconded the amendment and the board approved it as part of the motion. Separately, the board noted three new positions approved for the sheriff’s office and a parks safety position among items funded or partially funded in the budget.
The board also approved smaller, related items by unanimous vote: resolutions authorizing foregone amounts of $712 for the Melba Gopher District and $13,769 for the Canyon County Pest Control District, and the signatures on L2 property tax worksheets for the county and the two districts.
Speaker 3 described plans to recruit more than 400 poll workers for upcoming elections and said the budget includes a modest pay increase for poll workers to aid recruitment. The clerk and staff said the new elections building will provide training space and a public-facing location to support voter confidence and outreach.
The board concluded with procedural steps to finalize the budget package and adjourned by unanimous vote. No public comments or opposition motions were recorded during the hearing.
