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Residents press supervisors at long public hearing on proposed property tax levies
Summary
A packed public hearing on proposed Jefferson County levy rates drew extensive public comment about rising property taxes, state mandates and county service cuts. Supervisors explained levy mechanics and urged residents to contact state legislators; several procedural clarifications were promised.
Jefferson County held a lengthy public hearing March 24 on proposed property tax levy rates and heard sustained public comment from dozens of residents about affordability and county priorities.
Supervisor 1 opened the hearing and described the proposed levy rates: an urban rate shown at 7.36604 and a rural rate of 9.52464 before a state-mandated reduction. Staff explained the state-required mailings and a table showing the hypothetical effect if assessed values rose 10 percent. Several residents told the board they received the notices and feared a tax increase; county staff and supervisors repeatedly explained the document’s format is prescribed by the state and is intended to show how taxes would change under certain assessed-value assumptions.
Residents spoke for more than an hour on questions including: why school levies are large, whether the county could pressure the state to eliminate or backfill mandates, what services might be cut locally, and the fairness of taxing rural residents for county roads and bridges. One resident asked, "What are you doing to help us with the burden of taxes?" Supervisors outlined steps the county is taking — including freezing hiring for a roads position and seeking outside revenue — and urged constituents to contact their state legislators and attend the school board hearing that evening.
County officials explained several technical points: the state sets assessment and rollback rules that can make taxes rise even if county levy rates are constant; the hospital’s separate levy reduction (27¢) affects the rural calculation; and some levies appearing in mailed notices are state-required comparisons, not final tax increases the board unilaterally sets.
The board closed the public hearing at the end of the session after taking questions and describing next steps for the final budget hearing. Supervisors said they will publish detailed budget documents and urged residents to review claims and departmental budgets (the auditor’s office and county staff can provide line-item details on request).
Next steps: the board will finalize budget numbers in the coming days and schedule a final public hearing (delayed one week to allow more time for department responses). Residents were encouraged to attend school board and other local hearings to press for changes in separate levies that appear on taxpayers’ bills.
