Do you own property in West Ada School District or Kuna? These would affect your taxes
Voters in western and southern Ada County will find levies on this month’s primary election ballots asking to help fund local services.
In the West Ada School District, voters will be asked to approve a $14 million levy to keep the school district operating at its current levels. Voters in Kuna will be asked about a $1.2 million levy to further fund its rural fire district.
West Ada School District
The district — the largest in the state of Idaho — is asking voters to approve $14 million over two years. It is a renewal of the current supplemental levy the district has in place and has since 2012.
The levy must be approved by 50% of voters plus one vote, and it would last until June 30, 2022.
If passed, the revenue would go toward the district’s general operations, the district says, including staff salaries and benefits. The levy is worth 5% of the general funding for the district, and if it does not pass, “West Ada will make adjustments in its budget to account for the reduced funding,” according to its webpage.
The levy would cost property owners an estimated $52.60 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value annually, a rate that has dropped as property values in Ada County have risen.
Kuna Rural Fire District
The Kuna Rural Fire District is asking voters for a temporary levy increase, which would also last two years and would generate $1.2 million for the district.
That money would go toward new personnel — the district says on its website that it would be able to bring on three to six new firefighters and increase shift staffing from five to seven per shift — as well as an expansion to the current station and equipment replacement.
It would increase taxes for property owners about $61 per $100,000 of assessed taxable property value annually.
The district has made requests for similar levies in the past, including one in May 2019 and one in November 2018, but those failed to reach the two-thirds majority required to pass a permanent levy increase. This year’s request is only for two years, meaning it needs only 50% of voters to approve it plus one vote.
How do I vote in this election?
All voters in this month’s primary will have to use absentee ballots and vote by mail after Gov. Brad Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney announced the change in an effort to curb the potential spread of COVID-19 infections among voters and poll workers.
To get a ballot, request one at idahovotes.gov. Voters who typically vote in-person and who do not request an absentee ballot by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, will not be able to get one.
Ballots must be returned to county election offices by 8 p.m. on June 2. They will be counted that night.
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