Then, Boise mayor said she’d seek 2% property tax increase. This is what she says now
Amid the pandemic and record-breaking unemployment, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said Friday that she plans to propose no increase on property taxes this year.
In a news release Friday, she wrote, “Early in my days as mayor, I proposed a 2% increase, because I wanted the city to play a role in lessening the impact of rising costs of living in our community. But we are in uncharted territory. For that reason, I’m proposing zero increase in property taxes for the next fiscal year.”
McLean said that at the next City Council meeting, she will propose a 0% increase on property taxes for fiscal year 2021, which begins Oct. 1. She said that would cost the city $3.2 million in revenue.
Discussion of potential modest increases due to a lack of revenue came up in an April work session. State law allows cities to take as much as a 3% increase each year without requiring voter approval, and Boise has previously claimed the full 3%.
For the 2020 fiscal year, the average amount of a Boise residential property-tax bill attributable to city government was estimated at $1,314.
The mayor said Friday that the city needs to balance declining revenue and increased costs.
“It’s important in these unprecedented times to ease your property tax burden and find new ways to serve all residents as we create a 21st century city for everyone,” McLean wrote. “And we know that our city’s budget plays a role. Along with residents, we are tightening our belts as we build the fiscal year 2021 budget, and future budgets.”
McLean’s statement comes after Gov. Brad Little’s announcement Monday that local governments could use up to $200 million in federal coronavirus relief money to pay the salaries of police officers, firefighters and EMTs.
Little said he hoped the money would be “given back to the people of Idaho in the form of property tax relief rather than backfilling local government budgets.”
Asked if Little’s announcement played a role in McLean’s decision, spokesperson Karen Boe told the Statesman, “We are still evaluating the governor’s plan. The primary motivation for the mayor was providing relief to residents after hearing from them, both before and after the pandemic.”
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 1:39 PM.
