There has been a good deal of public discussion in recent weeks about property taxes in Uintah County. The Uintah School District would like to add these five facts to the discussion:

1.  Uintah School District is NOT a party to the property tax increase proposed by the Uintah County Commission and will NOT receive any of the funds if the proposed county tax increase is adopted.

2.  The Uintah School Board has provided $4.7 million in annual tax relief to Uintah County taxpayers since 2020 based on the revenues collected through its capital levy.

3.  Uintah School District is one of only three districts in the state of Utah that DOES NOT collect a voted local leeway (tax). Funds from a voted local leeway go into a district’s General Fund for maintenance and operations.

4.  The Uintah School District is projected to reduce its capital fund balance by an estimated $18.4 million by the end of Fiscal Year 2024. This is due, in part, to the construction of the Uintah High School Agricultural Sciences building and the Central Cove Early Learning Center. Both construction projects will be fully paid for out of the district’s existing cash reserves.

5.   After revenues and expenditures for FY24, the district expects to have an estimated $15.6 million remaining in its capital fund. This money will be necessary to complete Central Cove and fund major maintenance projects (e.g., roof replacements, structural improvements, mechanical upgrades, etc.) identified by the district through needs assessments that are routinely conducted on its existing schools and facilities.

Despite ongoing inflationary pressures, the district and the school board remain committed to a fiscally responsible approach to the expenditure of all public money.