Carbon County Commissioners Larry Jensen and Jared Haddock presented to the Utah State Tax Commission and members of the oil and gas industry in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, advocating for local residents and businesses.
Commissioner Larry Jensen led the presentation, highlighting the significant devaluation of centrally assessed properties in the region over the past decade. Using a graph, he demonstrated that centrally assessed properties once contributed approximately 70.05% of the total county tax base, a figure that has declined to roughly 22% as of last year following the loss of coal mines, power plants, and the continued devaluation of remaining industries. As a direct result of this decline, the share of the county tax burden paid by local homeowners and businesses increased correspondingly, despite no increase in services or spending at the county level.
Commissioner Jensen acknowledged that little can be done regarding the closure of the power plants and coal mines. However, he emphasized that the county should have a voice and some level of influence over the continued devaluation of industries that remain in operation. He provided specific examples of industries that experienced devaluations exceeding $10 million from one year to the next, despite no major disruption to their workforce or operations. Several of the industries referenced were present at the meeting and spoke in defense of their valuations.
Carbon County Commissioners remained after the meeting to answer additional questions from both industry representatives and the State Tax Commission, helping to clarify the magnitude of this tax shift occurring at the state level and its significant impact on Carbon County residents. The State Tax Commission committed to involving Carbon County more directly in future valuations, recognizing that the county may have relevant information to support the appeals process. This type of bridge-building with the Tax Commission and industry partners is essential to creating lasting and meaningful change in the community.