What is The Study We Keep Hearing About?

At the last meeting regarding annexation the number one concern of residents was, "what will the financial impact  be to me personally."

Financial feasibility is a concern on every level when an annexation is considered.  What will the property tax impact be?  Will the impact to the city cost current residents a tax increase?  Will the city be able to absorb the impact without placing itself in financial jeopardy?  How will these changes impact the county budget? These are all questions that need to be answered before the county, Willard city and South Willard residents can make an informed decision on annexation.  The county has funded a study of these questions so that there will be definitive answers based on facts. Information has to be gathered from tax records, from Willard City, from the county and projections of growth in income and population have to be calculated. This is a many faceted, time consuming process. 

Any meeting to share information with residents before the completion of the financial feasibility study would be premature as that study holds the answers to the most pressing questions residents had at the last meeting.  

  

What Happened with the Funding of the Special Service District

We are all part of multiple tax districts created for a specific service.  Districts can provide services such as flood control, mosquito abatement, water, cemetery. You can find what districts you live in listed on your tax statement.  You are charged a tax to fund the service each district provides.

In an effort toward self governance, Box Elder County created a district in South Willard called the South Willard Bay Special Service District.  The services the county allowed to be included in the district were sewerage, drainage, garbage, health care, transportation, recreation, fire protection, emergency medical and ambulance, street lighting, animal shelter and control.  The County tried to include all services a city would typically take care of in an effort to help South Willard move toward self governance.