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The Utah County budget may be feeling the pinch due to lower tax revenues than expected, but school districts that receive most of the property tax revenue are fine.
Due to an increase in those who haven't paid their property taxes and nearly a million dollars in property values that were readjusted, revenue is coming in lower than expected. County Treasurer Robert Kirk said taxing entities will have to deal with the shortage.
Kirk said the shortage is by no means a crisis, and that most of the county is expected to make out.
"I don't think it's going to be enough to hurt anybody," Kirk said.
Provo school district is a little short, but officials aren't worried.
"We expect to dip into reserves slightly due to the shortfall, but nothing drastic," said Kerry Smith, Provo School District's business administrator, in an e-mail.
Utah County commissioners passed a budget in December without increasing taxes, but recently realized that they would come up nearly $2 million short and are being faced with the task of trimming the budget or hoping that spending will decrease.
"I'm not so sure the county is in trouble. We're not going under by any means," Kirk said.
Provo School District planned for some cushion knowing that some properties would be reassessed. But due to a scandal that caused inflated home values in the Riverbottoms in Provo and other issues, Smith said the $200,000 cushion the district had planned probably won't be enough. The district won't know how much it's short until March when final property tax numbers come out, but Smith doesn't expect it to be too bad.
"We don't anticipate more than another $200,000 shortfall tops. Budgeted tax revenues are $27.5 million," Smith wrote.
Tracy Olsen, the business administrator for Nebo School District, said the district had no indication that its budgets will be in trouble due to decreasing property tax revenue. He said he would be watching it, though.
If Alpine School District has any budget problems, it will be with increasing building costs and not with property tax values.
Rob Smith, the business administrator in the Alpine School District, said the operations budget is doing well, but the building budget is getting tight because building costs are increasing. This district is about to issue its next series of bonds to provide the funds.
• Brittani Lusk can be reached at 344-2549 or at
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