A notice sent to residents of the area indicated the body was seeking a 13.65% increase. It said taxes on a $493,000 residence will increase from $1,029.83 to $1,219.63, or $189.80 per year. The increase on a $493,000 business would be $345.10 per year, from $1,872.41 to $2,217.51.

The increase or decrease of taxes depends on the property value, which Alpine School District does not control. Most taxpayers are expected to be paying less in property taxes for the district than last year, the district said.

The 2023 Notice of Property Valuation and Tax Changes, sent out by the Utah County Auditor, it stated the tax increase for Alpine School District would be 19.19%. This was listed under the taxing entity “Alpine School District.” This percentage increase was brought up by many of the residents who spoke at the public hearing.

“I ask for your consideration to look at it, tighten your belts, whatever it takes to be within means you know something that’s reasonable because 19% is outrageous,” Terrence Humphreys said during the public comment.

Nichole Whiteley, Daily Herald

Kimberly Bird, Alpine School District spokesperson, told the Daily Herald the tax increase is much less than that percentage. The tax increase is made up of three taxing entities listed on the notice sent out by the county: Alpine School District, State Charter School – Alpine and Statewide School Basic Levy. When these are added together, the property tax increase for Alpine School District is 7.8%.

Bird explained the 19.19% increase comes from one of the taxes being increased significantly while another decreased significantly, so the 19.19% increase does not account for all changes. The max property tax increase was 13.65% which she said should have been on the tax notice sent out by the county and was included on the tax notice posted by the district.

At the truth-in-taxation public hearing on Tuesday, the board approved a lower tax rate than the one proposed. The rate decreased from the fiscal year 2023 tax rate, which was set at 0.005724. The proposed tax rate for the fiscal year 2024 is 0.005818 while the certified tax rate — which would keep the funding for the district the same as what it was last year — is 0.005118. The final recommended tax rate, which was approved by the board, is 0.005518.

Rob Smith, ASD business administrator, told those attending the public hearing that the final tax rate was different from the tax rate on the public notice from the county. He did this by walking through each of the tax rates that make up Alpine School Districts property tax budgeted revenue.

Although the tax rate is lower than last year, the public expressed concern over the consistent increase of property taxes from the district. After the public hearing, a room that was almost completely full of community residents dispersed quickly as the board explained the reasons for the property tax increase. Some of those opposed, who stayed for the subsequent board discussion and vote, yelled out remarks such as “that’s not true,” and whispered to one another.

One of the main reasons for the property tax increase are operational investments. This includes teacher compensation, class size reduction and paraprofessional support, especially for at-risk students at the Alpine Transition and Education Center, Dan Peterson and Horizon.

Those in support of the increase argued that the education of the children was crucial, no matter the cost. Melina Chaffin and her husband both spoke in favor of the tax increase as parents of two children with special needs.

“One of the best investments that we can make and our greatest asset is through a great education for all of our students,” she said.

They and other parents of students with special needs said the increase would better allow their children to succeed academically. However, those against the tax increase argued that once the children with special needs grow up, they will not be able to afford ever-increasing property taxes on a fixed income.

Bird said the focus on reducing class sizes means the district will try to ensure the adult-to-student ratio is at their target number, 25 students per teacher.

“We’re essentially reducing the class size of teacher to adult to student because even though they didn’t have enough to fund another teacher, we’re still funding another adult in the class,” Bird said. To have another teacher hired, there would need to be an additional 25 students, but if there are just a few extra students they will hire full-time teacher equivalencies.

“We are trying our best to balance what the community said and to still meet the needs of students and we have student outcomes. We can’t educate them in 50-plus classrooms without desks. We can’t keep them safe in classrooms that are that large, but we’re doing the best we can and being as accountable as possible, and keeping the rate as low as we can – lower than anybody surrounding us or in equal size. We are committed to you, but most importantly, we’re committed to the outcomes of the students,” said Joylin Lincoln, ASD board member.

The property tax increase is also necessary, the board said, because the 2022 bond was unsuccessful.

“For those saying we voted against your bond. I appreciate that you did that, but you did not stop development,” Lincoln said.

While the board recognized the burden this tax increase places on the residents, board member Stacy Bateman said her “responsibility is to make sure kids are safe and they get an education.”

Many residents said they did want the higher budget for the children and suggested finding other means of helping students. They also expressed the need for the state to give more money to education purposes. The board agreed they need more funding from the state, but stated they are doing the best with what they are given.

“Some of the comments last night were ‘tighten your belt’ — we have. As I look at our budgets that were approved for the next year, we’ve got a 48% cut because the price of things are just so much more expensive,” Bird said.