Doug Anderson in West Boise got a nice surprise this fall.

His property tax bill dropped about $200 for this year. He's now paying about what he paid nearly four years ago.

But while it's nice to have a few extra bucks in his pocket during lean economic times, he wonders if this will mean a reduction in government services.

Anderson's story may not be typical of other property owners in Ada and Canyon counties.

On the one hand, property values - one part of the calculation for property taxes - fell in both counties between 2008 and 2009.

But for many governments that use property taxes to pay for their operations, the levy rate - the other part of the calculation - increased to make up for the potential in lostdollars from falling property values. Ada County's tax levy rate rose 14.5 percent, for example.

The overall effect in Ada County likely will mean little change in property taxes for many homeowners, said Bob McQuade, Ada County tax assessor. Property tax bills will show up in your mailboxes in Ada and Canyon counties over the next few days.

Canyon County Treasurer Tracie Lloyd said it was difficult to figure how all the variables on property taxes would affect property taxpayers generally.

In some cases, the rising levy rates just shored up lost revenues.

At ACHD, for example, the levy rate increased 12.5 percent to keep generating the same $31.7 million in property tax revenues the district received last year, said spokeswoman Robbie Johnson.

Ada County's increased levy rate, however, will also get the county about $1.7 million more from property taxes.

That money will be used to help offset other revenue losses in the budget, county officials said.

Boise's levy rate rose 14 percent. About 10.8 percent of that was to cover falling property values and growth in construction and annexation.

The remainder of the increase generated about $3 million in new revenue.

Even so, many Boise homeowners could pay less property tax to the city. The average decline in value for homeowners in Boise was about 9.6 percent, city officials say.

So despite the increased levy rate, a homeowner with property assessed at $250,000 last year could see that value drop to about $225,000 this year, resulting in a tax savings of about $36, said Brent Davis, the city's budget adviser.

In Meridian School District, the levy rate actually dropped about 2 percent.

The district faced increasing the levy rate to homeowners for a plant facilities levy to keep receiving the $20 million it has gotten in the past.

The district promised taxpayers it would not increase the rate, so collections are expected to drop about $6 million, and the district scratched plans to begin work on a new elementary school near Linder Road and Chinden Boulevard to ease crowding at nearby Paramount Elementary.

Bill Roberts: 377-6408