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County auditor briefs Bluffdale on property-tax e-notifications; residents tell council they feel targeted by fees and citations
Summary
Salt Lake County Auditor Chris Harding told the Bluffdale council about upcoming electronic property-tax notices and a new appeal-tracking system; public commenters included Jay Bevin, who urged removal of a public-safety fee and accused police of deadly force in a separate case, and Amy Harding, who said she felt unfairly targeted by a code-enforcement citation.
Salt Lake County Auditor Chris Harding spoke during the public-comment portion of the Bluffdale City Council meeting on June 25, urging residents to sign up for electronic property-tax notifications and describing a planned appeal-status tracker intended to give appellants timely updates on where their appeal is in the county process.
Harding said the electronic notices will list property valuations and how taxing entities (schools, towns, the county and other taxing districts) plan to use property-tax revenue. He described a ‘‘pizza tracker’’ for appeals that will send notifications as a case moves from the county office to the assessor and then to the assigned hearing officer so residents know the status of their appeals. Harding also invited residents to report fraud, waste and abuse through a QR code he provided at the meeting.
Two Bluffdale residents addressed the council during the same public-comment period. Jay Bevin, a resident and general contractor, objected to what he called a new public-safety fee on his bill and said the change contradicted previous citizen votes. Bevin made a graphic accusation about a separate police incident, saying, "They broke down his door, shot him 17 times... They basically murdered him," and warned of litigation if the fee is not removed from his bill.
Amy Harding said her household recently received a citation after a neighbor complaint and said she felt singled out compared with nearby properties in similar condition. Harding told the council the citation caused stress for her family and noted physical-lift restrictions that make property upkeep difficult; she urged the city to avoid becoming "an HOA" and encouraged a more neighbor-centered approach to enforcement.
Council did not take immediate action on the citizen complaints during this meeting; the public-comment period closed before the council moved into the consent agenda and subsequent business.
