Idaho State Journal from Pocatello, Idaho • Page 6

PAGE 6-SECTION A-IDAHO STATE JOURNAL POCATELLO, IDAHO, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1975 Educator Urges Greater Effort for Funds thn US nft Idaho. He told the 35 people attending that higher education's shrinking share ol the budgetary pie is eroding its ability to provide quality dollar, ui. uiciin (eachinfi and research, com- president of Washington State cusation at a social science ve es and University, said here this week seminar at the University of MOSCOW-Charging that higher education is doing a job" of competing for the state and federal revenue dollar, Dr. Glenn Terrell, that everyone connected with higher education must become political to reverse the downward trend of financial support. Dr.

Terrell made his ac- Max Yost: Spelling out the bad news Speak Up at Budget Time, Taxpayers Told "You have to become interested in budgets because that's where your government spends the money," tax expert Max Yost, Boise, told a group of irate taxpayers at Highland High School Friday night. Yost, executive manager of the Taxpayers of Idaho, told more than 300 people that close involvement in the budget-setting procedure is the only effective way to make opinions about governmental spending felt. Registering such opinions and getting them listened to requires both weight of numbers and persistence, he acknowledged, because of internal courthouse pressures to adopt departmental budgets exactly as submitted. The meeting was organized by the Bannock County Reoublican Central Committee, and chaired by W. James Johnston.

Repeating statements from the Idaho Code on taxation, made by county officials in meetings Monday night and Friday afternoon in other tax protest meetings, the Boise lobbyist stressed that persons unhappy with the appraisal of their property must pursue the issue with the assessor in May and June, when the appraisal notices are mailed. "I realize it's an awful lot," Yost replied to questions about revaluations that more than doubled assessed values of some farms, "but you should have settled the issue then." He suggested that taxpayers should seek a second opinion by- hiring a private appraiser to make a detailed study of their property that can be balanced against, the county appraiser's estimation. i i actions to dramatize taxpayer's objections to excessive spending are ineffectual, he contended, because once the county, city or school district budget has been certified, the taxing districts are permitted to borrow money in anticipation of tax revenues--and the money certified can be spent regardless of public opinion after the budget is apprVed. Bannock County "had a realistic levy" in 1975, Yost continued, though he believed slight reductions might have been made. "Idaho is in a good position" on property tax levels compared to Utah, a a Oregon and Washington, he said; the statewide average property taxation is 1.54 per cent of market value, and two per cent is a national norm.

Bannock County is slightly above the state average at 1.89 per cent, he said. Yost also expressed confidence in the equity of the county's appraisals, in response to charges that property is valued higher in Bannock County than in surrounding counties. An Idaho State Journal survey of valuations on dry farms, grazing land, irrigated farmland, and meadowland in Power, Bingham and Bonneville Counties shows property values detemined by the different assessors are within 10 to 10 per cent on similar classes of ground. Power County Assessor Luciel Vincent said most of the disparity could be explained by differences in productivity and market value over the period the farmland was reappraised. Bannock County's current appraisal was completed in 1973 and checked during 1974 before being placed on the 1975 rolls.

Farm ground appraisal in less populous Bingham and Power counties was completed a year to two years earlier. The appraisals in Bingham, Bannock and Power counties were conducted by Max P. Arnold and Associates; the Bonneville County appraisal was conducted by the county assessor and corresponds closely to values determined in the other three counties. Yost pointed out differences in tax bills between Bannock and Tower counties were due to generally higher levels in Bannock County, partially caused by its higher population and more urban nature. ASSORTED CHOCOLATES 1LB.

$2.95 MARSHMALLOW TURKEY 1V4 OZ. FRUIT CAKE TIN 2 LBS. $5.25 HALLIWELL DRUG CO 202 South Arthur Phone 233-0272 Want to Cut Taxes, Costs? Here's Multiple-Choice Plan Journal Staff Writer In the past week, dozens of suggestions to reduce taxes, cut governmental spending, and bring pressure to bear on county government have been made during a series of meetings that culminated Friday night in a large gathering at Highland High School. Well-attended meetings were also conducted at the Spanbauer Barn on Tyhee and in a jammed conference room at the Bannock County Courthouse Friday afternoon when Marsh Valley farmers confronted county officials. Proposals have ranged from pressure at school district, county and city budget hearings to secession from Bannock County and recall of county officials.

At the Highland High School meeting, a committee including protest leaders Duke Fuhriman of Marsh Valley and Sam McNabb of Tyhee was formed to explore tax reduction and protest possibilities, and is also expected to survey the Bannock County budget when the rough form becomes available in mid- December. Proposals made include: --A resolution calling for a county budget freeze at S4.16 million and a related tax withholding campaign if commissioners fail to follow a "zero growth" budget policy. --Opposition to increases in other forms of taxation that might be taken to allow a freeze or reduction of property taxes. --Research of non-tax methods of funding governmental services such as increases in fees for specific services and increases in court costs. --Lobbying of banks to refuse loans to units of government under tax anticipation regulations.

--A survey to find alternate, private means of supplying governmental services. --Concentration of appeals of property assessments in tax appeal courts to dramatize dissatisfaction of farmers with agricultural land assessments. --Recall of county officials believed responsible for reappraisal and higher spending, or support of political candidates in the 1976 election pledged to a freeze or reduction of governmental expenditures. --Secession of some Bannock County farmland areas north and south of Pocatello, and alliance with Power or Bingham counties which consistently certify lower tax levies and smaller budgets. --Support of "green belt" legislation that would prohibit consideration of inflated and speculative residential real estate values when appraising farm lands near urban growth areas, with a related "reach back" tax based on a property's new intended use, but only at the time of a change in ownership and use.

--Support of legislation to restrict the impact of revaluation programs to an application of only 20 per cent of the new assessed valuation to the tax rolls in any given year. Idaho requires that property be reappraised once every five years. ra 2 BIG DAYS This Ad Effective Sunday, November 23rd Through Monday, November 24th Until this year, if you worked for a company that had no pension plan, you were on your own when it came to planning a retirement income over and above Social Security. The 1974 pension reform law changed that. Now you can contribute up to 15 percent of your annual earned income (to a maximum of $1,500) to your own individual retirement plan fax free, if you're not already covered by a company plan.

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