2008 Legislation
Print Friendly

HOUSE BILL NO. 468<br /> – Hwy dist, tax levy limits

HOUSE BILL NO. 468

View Bill Status

View Bill Text

View Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



Text to be added within a bill has been marked with Bold and
Underline. Text to be removed has been marked with
Strikethrough and Italic. How these codes are actually displayed will
vary based on the browser software you are using.

This sentence is marked with bold and underline to show added text.

This sentence is marked with strikethrough and italic, indicating
text to be removed.

Bill Status



H0468...............................................by REVENUE AND TAXATION
HIGHWAY DISTRICTS - Amends existing law relating to property taxes to
permit certain highway districts to levy up to certain dollar amount
limitations, under certain circumstances and subject to voter approval.

02/06    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/07    Rpt prt - to Rev/Tax

Bill Text




                                                                       
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-ninth Legislature                   Second Regular Session - 2008

                                                                       

                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                     HOUSE BILL NO. 468

                             BY REVENUE AND TAXATION COMMITTEE

  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO PROPERTY TAXES; AMENDING SECTION 63-802,  IDAHO  CODE,  TO  PERMIT
  3        CERTAIN  TAXING  ENTITIES TO LEVY UP TO CERTAIN DOLLAR AMOUNT LIMITATIONS,
  4        UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS AND SUBJECT TO VOTER APPROVAL.

  5    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

  6        SECTION 1.  That Section 63-802, Idaho Code, be, and the  same  is  hereby
  7    amended to read as follows:

  8        63-802.  LIMITATION  ON  BUDGET  REQUESTS  -- LIMITATION ON TAX CHARGES --
  9    EXCEPTIONS. (1) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section  for  tax
 10    year 1995, and each year thereafter, no taxing district shall certify a budget
 11    request  for  an  amount  of property tax revenues to finance an annual budget
 12    that exceeds the greater of:
 13        (a)  The dollar amount of property taxes certified for its  annual  budget
 14        for any one (1) of the three (3) tax years preceding the current tax year,
 15        whichever  is greater, which amount may be increased by a growth factor of
 16        not to exceed three percent (3%) plus the amount  of  revenue  that  would
 17        have been generated by applying the levy of the previous year, not includ-
 18        ing  any  levy  described in subsection (4) of this section, or any school
 19        district levy reduction resulting from a distribution of state funds  pur-
 20        suant  to section 63-3638(10), Idaho Code, to any increase in market value
 21        subject to taxation resulting from new construction or change of land  use
 22        classification  as  evidenced  by  the value shown on the new construction
 23        roll compiled pursuant to section 63-301A, Idaho Code; and by the value of
 24        annexation during the previous calendar year, as certified  by  the  state
 25        tax commission for market values of operating property of public utilities
 26        and by the county assessor; or
 27        (b)  The  dollar  amount of property taxes certified for its annual budget
 28        during the last year in which a levy was made; or
 29        (c)  The dollar amount of the actual budget request, if  the  taxing  dis-
 30        trict  is  newly created except as may be provided in subsection (1)(h) of
 31        this section; or
 32        (d)  In the case of school districts, the restriction imposed  in  section
 33        33-802, Idaho Code; or
 34        (e)  In  the  case of a nonschool district for which less than the maximum
 35        allowable increase in the dollar amount of property  taxes  is   certified
 36        for  annual  budget  purposes in any one (1) year, such a district may, in
 37        any following year, recover the foregone increase by certifying, in  addi-
 38        tion  to  any increase otherwise allowed, an amount not to exceed one hun-
 39        dred percent (100%) of the increase originally foregone.  Said  additional
 40        amount  shall be included in future calculations for increases as allowed;
 41        or
 42        (f)  In the case of cities, if the immediately preceding year's levy  sub-
 43        ject  to  the limitation provided by this section, is less than 0.004, the

                                       2

  1        city may increase its budget by an amount not  to  exceed  the  difference
  2        between  0.004 and actual prior year's levy multiplied by the prior year's
  3        market value for  assessment  purposes.  The  additional  amount  must  be
  4        approved by sixty percent (60%) of the voters voting on the question at an
  5        election  called  for that purpose and held on the date in May or November
  6        provided by law, and may  be included in the annual budget of the city for
  7        purposes of this section; or
  8        (g)  A taxing district may submit to the electors within the district  the
  9        question of whether the budget from property tax revenues may be increased
 10        beyond  the  amount  authorized  in  this section, but not beyond the levy
 11        authorized by statute. The additional amount must be approved by sixty-six
 12        and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) or more of the voters voting on the ques-
 13        tion at an election called for that purpose and held on the May or  Novem-
 14        ber  dates  provided  by  section  34-106,  Idaho Code. If approved by the
 15        required minimum sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the  voters
 16        voting at the election, the new budget amount shall be the base budget for
 17        the purposes of this section; or
 18        (h)  When  a  nonschool  district consolidates with another nonschool dis-
 19        trict or dissolves and a  new  district  performing  similar  governmental
 20        functions  as the dissolved district forms with the same boundaries within
 21        three (3) years, the maximum amount of a budget of the district from prop-
 22        erty tax revenues shall not be greater than the sum of  the  amounts  that
 23        would  have been authorized by this section for the district itself or for
 24        the districts that were consolidated or dissolved and incorporated into  a
 25        new district; or
 26        (i)  In the instance or case of cooperative service agencies, the restric-
 27        tions imposed in sections 33-315 through 33-318, Idaho Code; or
 28        (j)  In  the  case of a county highway system, countywide highway district
 29        or highway district, when, for the immediate preceding ten (10)  years  or
 30        more, the district:
 31             (i)   Has  certified  a levy rate of less than fifty percent (50%) of
 32             the levy limit provided in section 40-801(1)(b), Idaho Code, the dis-
 33             trict may levy for an increase not to exceed ten percent (10%) of the
 34             dollar amount levied pursuant to section 40-801(1)(b), Idaho Code, in
 35             the preceding year in addition to the increase allowed in  subsection
 36             (1)(a) of this section, provided that the district must first use its
 37             foregone  amount,  and  further  provided  that such increase must be
 38             approved by a majority of the voters voting on  the  question  at  an
 39             election  called  for  that  purpose  and  held on the date in May or
 40             November, as provided by law, and if approved,  such  voter  approval
 41             shall  be  for a period of not to exceed ten (10) years. The increase
 42             provided in this subparagraph shall not be  included  in  the  annual
 43             budget for purposes of this section; or
 44             (ii)  Has  not  certified a levy subject to the provisions of subsec-
 45             tion (1) of this section, the district may levy a dollar  amount  not
 46             to  exceed fifty percent (50%) of the maximum levy rate authorized in
 47             section 40-801(1)(b), Idaho Code, and this new budget amount shall be
 48             the base budget for the purposes of this section, provided that  such
 49             increase  must  be approved by a majority of the voters voting on the
 50             question at an election called for that purpose and held on the  date
 51             in May or November, as provided by law.
 52        (2)  In  the case of fire districts, during the year immediately following
 53    the election of a public utility or public utilities to consent to be provided
 54    fire protection pursuant to section 31-1425, Idaho Code, the maximum amount of
 55    property tax revenues permitted in subsection  (1)  of  this  section  may  be

                                       3

  1    increased  by  an amount equal to the current year's taxable value of the con-
  2    senting public utility or public utilities multiplied by that portion  of  the
  3    prior year's levy subject to the limitation provided by subsection (1) of this
  4    section.
  5        (3)  No  board  of  county  commissioners  shall set a levy, nor shall the
  6    state tax commission approve a levy for annual budget purposes  which  exceeds
  7    the  limitation imposed in subsection (1) of this section, unless authority to
  8    exceed such  limitation  has  been  approved  by  a  majority  of  the  taxing
  9    district's electors voting on the question at an election called for that pur-
 10    pose  and  held pursuant to section 34-106, Idaho Code, provided however, that
 11    such voter approval shall be for a period of not to exceed two (2) years.
 12        (4)  The amount of property tax revenues to finance an annual budget  does
 13    not  include revenues from nonproperty tax sources, and does not include reve-
 14    nue from levies that are voter approved for bonds, override levies or  supple-
 15    mental  levies,  plant  facilities  reserve fund levies, school emergency fund
 16    levies or for levies applicable to newly annexed property or for levies appli-
 17    cable to new construction as evidenced by the value of property subject to the
 18    occupancy tax pursuant to section 63-317, Idaho Code, for  the  preceding  tax
 19    year.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



                       STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

                             RS 17780

This legislation amends Title 63-802, Idaho Code, by
inserting language that allows a county highway system, a
countywide highway district, or a highway district that has
operated with a levy rate of less than 50% of the limit
established by law for the construction and maintenance of
highways and bridges to increase the budget amount for that
purpose by ten percent (10%).  This legislation specifies that an
election must be held for the budget increase, specifies dates
for the election, and places a ten (10) year sunset on the
increased levy.  This legislation is necessary given the current
conditions of those counties and highway districts that had very
low levy rates prior to the imposition of the 5% budget cap in
1979.


                           FISCAL NOTE

     There is no fiscal impact to the State general fund.




Contact
Name: Rep. Jim Clark 
Phone: 332-1000
Rep. George Sayler
Stuart O. Davis, 345-5176


STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                         H 468