Last week, Utah County officials were notified about an error in this year’s property tax bill that went out to residents in July.

Richard Piatt, communications manager for Utah County Government said the error in the tax rate was a clerical mistake by the auditor’s office.

“Someone in the auditor’s office manually entered the wrong tax rate information into the computer and it went out — so it was a human error,” he told the Daily Herald Monday morning.

Utah County officials say while the accident is unfortunate, they are grateful that the County auditor caught the error and brought it to their attention.

“Yeah, it was not a good thing and we’re not pleased that it went out with the tax bill (that) reflects the incorrect rate; But we did catch it early, before people actually paid their taxes,” Piatt said.

However, it means Provo will bear the biggest burden of the mishap and homeowners will likely owe more on their property taxes than what was shown on their recent tax bills.

Provo City Government responded to the error on social media voicing its displeasure in what appears to be the first incident of its kind in Utah County.

“This is enormously disappointing and to our knowledge unprecedented,” they said in a social media post released on Saturday. .

The city clarified that the Utah County Auditor is an independent elected position, which is separate from the Utah County Commissioners.

Despite the unfortunate matter, Provo City commended the county auditor for flagging the issue.

“Rod Mann is the current county auditor and has been forthright in accepting responsibility and gracious in extending his offer to help us understand both the problem and how it might be resolved,” the social media post reads.

Piatt said the error impacts 23,143 residential properties in Provo. 2,087 parcels (vacant lots, pieces of land, businesses) are also affected.

Piatt said owners of an average household in Provo could see anywhere from $100 to $125 difference in their tax bills.

Other cities in Utah County are also affected, but according to Piatt the rate impacts should be around $10 or less.

“The incorrect rate applies county wide, but Provo is the one most significantly affected,” he said.

Also heavily impacted, is the Provo City School District which is facing its own financial challenges due to planned facility improvements and other needs across the district.

“As a result, the district faces a $3.7 million shortfall,” the Provo City School District said on its website regarding the mistake.

The focus now is on rectifying the matter.

Utah County, Provo City, and the Provo City School District will meet Tuesday to discuss how best to move forward.

Piatt said at least two options are on the table:

Option 1: Let the current (incorrect) tax rate persist for this year. The shortfall would then be recovered over the next year or two by slightly increasing future tax rates. 

Option 2: Notify taxpayers by mail about the error and apply the corrected, higher tax rate immediately this year. 

As Utah County and city leaders work to navigate the mishap, Utah County Commissioners are working with the auditor’s office to implement safeguards that will prevent such errors in the future.

“We understand the frustration this causes and want residents to know that the commission is fully engaged in resolving the issue and restoring confidence in the integrity of our county’s financial processes,” Utah County Government said in a social media post on Saturday.

In the meantime, residents with questions and concerns can reach out to the county.