CEDAR CITY — After hearing from dozens of people during last week’s “truth in taxation” public hearing, the Iron County Commission unanimously voted to increase the county’s share of property tax rate to help fund a new county jail and sheriff’s office complex.
A standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 people filled the main room and dozens more watched in overflow rooms further down the hall during the nearly 4.5-hour meeting Aug. 15 at Cedar City’s Festival Hall.
“As leaders, it is our duty to look ahead and make decisions that will ensure the long-term sustainability of our community,” Iron County Commissioner Paul Cozzens said as he welcomed those in attendance. “We must consider the consequences of our actions on future generations and prioritize their well-being. This means balancing short-term gains with long term benefits and considering the environmental, social and economic implications of our decisions.”
Cozzens, who noted he had helped install cabinets in the existing jail 38 years ago, said a remodel isn’t feasible as a result of restrictions in the conditional use permit issued by Cedar City in the late 1980s.
“Renovating the current facility is not a practical solution,” Cozzens said, citing logistical challenges and costs involved in trying to renovate a facility while it is housing inmates.
“We urge you to consider the critical need for a new and expanded county sheriff and jail facility,” Cozzens said as he concluded his opening remarks. “Our community’s safety and security depend on it.”
Iron County Auditor Lucas Little then gave a 12-minute slide presentation that explained in detail how property taxes are assessed and collected. One key point Little noted is that the proposed increase will not double a taxpayer’s entire property tax bill but rather just the portion that goes to the county’s general fund.
“The average total property taxes on a primary residence with a value of $405,000 is $1,710,” Little explained as a visual graphic was shown on the screen. “Of that, the county general fund portion is $186. With the proposed tax increase, the general fund portion would increase from $186 to $371. This is an increase of $15.45 per month, or $185.49 per year. This would increase your overall tax bill from $1,710 to $1,895, or 10.85% overall.”
Added Commissioner Mike Bleak: “Iron County is in fantastic economic shape. We’ve been able to pay off most of our general obligation debt.
“The only debt that we currently have is our public safety building that was constructed in 2017, that house(s) state offices such as the Utah Highway Patrol, Driver License and the Division of the Utah State Crime Lab. The lease agreements with the state more than cover the payment of the bond of that facility.”
Nevertheless, Bleak said that after many years of running a surplus, Iron County now faces a projected budget deficit.
“We’re proud of our employees and the great service that they provide,” he said. “Without an increase in the operating budget, we’ll be forced to cut services or reduce staff.”
Bleak also noted that Iron County hasn’t increased its general fund levy in more than 20 years and added that 15% of the proposed tax increase will go toward the covering county’s operating budget, with the remaining 85% going toward the funding for the jail project.
Bleak also addressed the challenges of rising operating costs.
“We’re all suffering from the effects of inflation. A Snickers bar costs double what it did a year ago at the gas station. The price of gas is ridiculous,” Bleak said.
“To speak frankly, it sucks. This proposed increase will affect me and my family just like everyone else in Iron County. It’s a hard decision that’s not been taken lightly by anyone involved in the process. We have a sound financial plan to keep the county financially sound and fiscally responsible moving into the future.
Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter addressed infrastructure issues of the current 37-year-old facility, which he said has “outlived its usefulness” and is the oldest county jail still in use in the state.
“We need to do something,” Carpenter said, adding that the current plan is to build two pods and fill the second one with state and federal contract inmates as a means of generating revenue, much as the jails in the neighboring counties of Beaver and Kane are already doing.
The total cost of Iron County’s proposed facility is estimated to be approximately $100 million, officials said at the meeting.
Carpenter said the delays seen over the past few years have only been driving the price tag higher.
“If we’d built this jail when we first proposed it four years ago, it would have cost us $20 million less than it’s going to cost us currently,” Carpenter told the crowd. “The price increase has been averaging $6 million a year every year that we put it off. We can’t put it off any longer. There may not be a good time to build it. But we can’t afford to put it off any longer or else it’s going to cost you the taxpayers a whole lot more money than what it is that we’re proposing right now.”
Carpenter also noted that a property increase of around $180 annually works out to be about 50 cents per a day.
“What that means for me, is it’s going to cost me basically one Mountain Dew a week, or $15 a month, for a year,” he said. “That’s what it comes out to.”
Following Carpenter’s remarks, Iron County Clerk Jon Whittaker acknowledged the dozens of phone calls and emails his office received.
“Most were concerned about the rate,” Whittaker said. “There was quite a few that just said, ‘Hey, I’m not gonna be able to afford this.’”
At 7 p.m., the public hearing was then declared open. Dozens of folks lined up at the microphone to share their concerns, with each speaker being given a two-minute time limit.
A few members of the audience held up protest signs. A couple of men even wielded pitchforks, although neither of them got up to speak.
Many commenters expressed anger and frustration as they spoke against the proposed increase. Some simply wanted more answers, while several others suggested the county look to alternative funding solutions.
Numerous commenters noted that they were retirees living on fixed incomes and therefore can’t afford the increase.
“I’m tapped out,” one man said.
Others had questions about the jail site selection process, the size and scope of the project and whether it could feasibly be constructed on budget, in addition to questions about how property taxes are allocated.
“I’m sick of paying for criminals,” another person said.
A handful of commenters referred to the famous example of former Maricopa County (Arizona) Sheriff Joe Arpaio who controversially made inmates wear pink jumpsuits, fed them bologna sandwiches and housed them in tents in triple-digit temperatures.
However, at least two other commenters later said that the legal costs that resulted from Arpaio’s actions offset any monetary savings achieved.
“Joe Arpaio spent $21,800,000 on lawsuits for inmates because he stuck them in a tent in 110 degrees,” Chris Sorensen noted.
“When you have sewers that are backing up, isn’t it isn’t hard for some lawyer today to say let’s sue,” he added. “So it costs $100 million to build a jail. Let’s not pay for it twice.”
Later, Sheriff Carpenter weighed in on the topic.
“We can’t be like Joe Arpaio and just go out and put up a tent city,” he said. “You know, I love Joe Arpaio myself. I’ve got a pair of pink underwear signed by Joe. So I would love to be able to do that, but I can’t. The law doesn’t allow it.”
More than 50 commenters ended up speaking during the public hearing, which ended just before 8:50 p.m., just under two hours after it began. The commissioners and county officials then spent the next 90 minutes answering previously asked questions and concerns (and fielding several new ones).
To watch the meeting in its entirety on Iron County Commission’s YouTube channel, click here.
“There’s already historical precedent in our county for this,” Carpenter said toward the end of the meeting, noting that the proposal to build the current Iron County Jail, located at 2132 No. Main Street in Cedar City, was initially rejected by voters back in the 1980s.
“That was overturned by the Utah Supreme Court and (the jail) was ordered to be built,” Carpenter said. “I have the document on my desk. The problem is not going away. It doesn’t matter whether we want to do these things for the inmates or not. The fact of the matter is, the law requires it. The Constitution requires it. We don’t have a choice.”
In his closing comments, Bleak said the proposed increase “is what makes sense, that ultimately doesn’t put every dime of the bond payment on the backs of the taxpayers.”
“Inflation sucks. I’m with you,” Bleak added. “But we’re in a position where we just can’t do anything different, and we’ve exhausted every attempt to try and do something different.”
The meeting finally wound to a close at 10:30 p.m., when commissioners Cozzens, Bleak and Marilyn Wood unanimously passed a resolution adopting a tax rate that would produce $5,950,000 in additional revenue for the county’s general fund.
That still might not be the final say on the issue, however, as a group of people opposed to the commission’s decision is currently exploring the feasibility of collecting enough voter signatures to get a referendum placed on the November election ballot.
If the commission’s decision ultimately stands and the jail project moves forward as proposed, county officials say that ground could be broken as early as December, with the construction expected to take at least two years.
Photo Gallery
Crowd fills the room at a public hearing regarding Iron County Commission's proposed property tax increase, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News L-R: Iron County Clerk Jon Whittaker and County Commissioners Marilyn Wood, Paul Cozzens and Mike Bleak during "truth in taxation" meeting, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Iron County Auditor Lucas Little gives a presentation about property tax assessments during a "truth in taxation" meeting, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News A slide about property taxes is shown during a public hearing regarding Iron County Commission's proposed tax increase, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Iron County Commissioner Mike Bleak speaks during public "truth in taxation" meeting, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter speaks during public "truth in taxation" meeting, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Commenters line up to speak during a public hearing regarding Iron County Commission's proposed property tax increase, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News L-R: Iron County Commissioners Marilyn Wood, Paul Cozzens and Mike Bleak listen to public comments, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Commenter Andrea Nelson speaks in opposition to a proposed property tax increase, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter and Sam Woodall of Iron County Attorney's Office listen to public comments during "truth in taxation" meeting, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Consultant Marcus Keller of Crews and Associates answers a commenter's question during public "truth in taxation" meeting, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Iron County's current correctional facility and sheriff's complex dates to 1987, making it Utah's oldest county jail currently in use, according to county officials, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 17, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News A slide about property taxes is shown during a public hearing regarding Iron County Commission's proposed tax increase, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News A slide about property taxes is shown during a public hearing regarding Iron County Commission's proposed tax increase, Cedar City Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
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