County Oks budget with tax increase

Boundary County commissioners last week approved a $4.2 million budget that will increase property taxes for services to residents, but will reduce fees property owners pay for using the landfill.

The spending plan will result in no pay increases for the county’s 139 employees, and there will be no cuts in services to residents, said Glenda Poston, budget officer for the county.

The budget for 2009-10, which begins Oct. 1, will require the owner of taxable property valued at $100,000 to pay $453 in taxes. That’s $24 more than last year, Poston said.

Fees property owners pay for operating the county landfill north of Bonners Ferry decreased by $36.72 from last year for property owners within Bonners Ferry and $43.92 for those outside the city.

City property owners for 2008-09 paid $140 for the landfill and will now pay $103. Those outside the city paid $167 and will now pay $123.

Fees to the landfill, which are included on property tax bills, were increased last year to pay for equipment and reduced for next year’s spending plan.

Employees did not initially receive a pay increase for 2008-09, but got 50 cents more an hour in April when the county received a record annual payment of $210,551 from the government for its 475,349 acres of federal lands that cannot be taxed. It was also the first time in the history of the Payment of Lieu of Taxes Program that the county received the full amount due

Payment eligibility is reserved for local governments — usually counties — that contain nontaxable federal lands and provide government services related to public safety, housing, social services, transportation and the environment.

The 2009-10 budget also saw a 12.5 percent increase for health insurance premiums and a 13 percent decrease in revenue from sale tax.