Some Erda residents are getting sticker shock when they open their disclosure notices showing property valuations and tax changes.

Michael Gardner, who lives on a 5-acre lot on the east side of SR-36 just south of Bates Canyon Road, said when he received his disclosure notice he saw a significant jump in both his assessed property value and taxes. His estimated taxes, if budgets are approved, will be an increase of 42 percent from last year — from $2,215 in 2007-08 to $3,149 this year. The assessed value of his property increased by $106,000.

“If somebody bought their home 10 years ago and hasn’t developed it, hasn’t sold it, and their income hasn’t jumped significantly, then all of a sudden they’re paying twice as much in taxes and getting no benefit from the fact their property is worth more,” Gardner said. “They’re not planning to sell or subdivide, they’re just trying to live there. I don’t care if my home and property is worth $200,000 or $500,000 because I don’t plan to do anything with it. If I was planning to sell it, it would be a different situation.”

Gardner is not alone. Some Erda residents have seen their assessed property values skyrocket after the Tooele County Assessor’s Office re-valued 5-acre lots in the area based on recent sales data.

Tooele County Assessor Wendy Shubert said the state requires her office to reappraise every five years, but because of the growth in the county they haven’t been able to keep on schedule.

“We were short-staffed — there was the assessor, Ron Perry and I were the only appraisers for Tooele County,” she said. “We did what we could just to pick up the new growth. Once I got in office, we were able to hire two new appraisers.”

The assessor’s office is required by law to be within 90 to 110 percent of what a home would sell for. Market values of properties are based on a Jan. 1, 2008 date.

But Gardner said the rise in property values could leave many Erda residents land-rich but cash-poor.

“Most people that live in Erda and own homes aren’t planning to move,” he said. “They like to live in Erda and want to stay there and raise their family there. So the rising property values and taxes hurt them. Also, yeah values jumped up last year, but they have dropped again, so you end up having a value for your property that your home might not be worth on the seller’s market.”

Doyle Taylor, who lives on Droubay Road, said his disclosure notice showed an increase of $200 to $300 in taxes for his house and property.

“Any increase is more than I expected, given the economy the way it is and the way property should be going down in value instead of up,” he said.

Taylor added his land is zoned agricultural, so it may not be as affected as some. He also said he doesn’t think the property valuations accurately portray what a property could sell for now.

“They could sell 5-acre lots for $250,000 to $300,000 a year ago,” he said. “But I know they’re being advertised at $199,000 now.”

Dwight Clark, who lives on Erda Way, said he is also concerned about the skyrocketing assessments.

“I’m so opposed to this,” he said. “To me, my property isn’t worth a dollar more now than it was when I built my home.”

He began building his home in 1996 and while he’s in 5-acre zoning, most of that is greenbelt, which he said at least gives him a kind of protection.

“They tell you, ‘Well, if you sell your home look at the value of your home,’ but I’m not going to sell my home,” he said. “I think it’s wrong. I think we need a proposition 13 [a California proposition passed in 1978 that essentially limited property tax increases, so long as a property wasn’t sold] on the ballot.”

Ethel Walters, who lives on Erda Way, said valuations aren’t in line with what a seller would actually make in the free market.

“We’re on greenbelt, so we’re not taxed as heavily, but you go to sell it and your rollback taxes are almost astronomical,” she said, referring to the taxes that can be put on property that is no longer eligible for farmland assessment. The rollback tax is calculated by the difference between the taxes paid while on greenbelt and the taxes that would’ve been paid if the property had been assessed at market value. It can go back five years.

“That’s what the problem is. The valuations go up and then if you sell it the rollback taxes eat up the profit. The county is getting the valuations too high for what you can actually re-sell it for.”

Residents can appeal property values, but cannot appeal the amount of taxes. For more information, visit the Tooele County Web site at www.co.tooele.ut.us.

Sarah Miley: swest@tooeletranscript.com