Direct Notification

Direct notification was included in the property tax reform bill signed by Gov. Reynolds on May 4, 2023

What was the Problem?

Many local elected officials claimed they are not contacted during the budgeting process by constituents, and constituents rarely attended public hearings on local budgets, largely because they were confusing, and they didn’t know when and where they were held.

Any property tax reform should include direct, property-specific notification to property owners regarding potential tax increases. Many people no longer receive a daily, or even weekly, newspaper. Most people do not check their community website with regularity to read public notice postings. People complain most about their taxes when they receive their new property assessments or their property tax bill, but those are not the times when local elected officials are writing their budgets. Many local elected officials claim that they are not contacted during the budgeting process by constituents, and constituents rarely attend public hearings on local budgets, largely because they are confusing, and they may not even be aware they are occurring.

Property owners deserve to be notified of budget hearings with property-specific information about what impact a budget under consideration by a city or county will have on them, as well as the time, date, and location of the public hearing for that budget. Taxpayers need to be empowered with this information so they can hold their local elected officials accountable.