Board rejects request for property tax hike

The Carson City Board of Supervisors unanimously turned down a proposal Thursday to raise the tax rate for Carson City property owners.

The city's finance department sought to raise property taxes to help plug a nearly $8 million deficit projected for the city's 2011 fiscal year budget.

Only parcels that were added to the city's tax roll after 2005 would have seen an immediate impact. Older properties are protected under the tax cap passed by the 2005 Legislature.

If adopted, the rate increase from $3.13 to $3.45 per $100 of assessed value would have added about $225,500 to the general fund and about $100,000 to the redevelopment authority.

Supervisor Pete Livermore said he hesitated to single out one segment of taxpayers.

"As long as (we) all have to share in the burden, let's share it equally," he said.

Resident Jim Bagwell said he opposed any increase in property taxes.

"Carson City has not learned to live within its means," Bagwell said. "When the economy is in trouble, government cannot tax it back" to good health.

"Any tax will decrease the activity in the housing market, and now is the time for Carson City to tighten its belt," he said. "Every family is fearful of living on less than the last year."

Also speaking out against the proposal was Dan Smith on behalf of the 600-member Sierra Nevada Association of Realtors.

"There has been an increase in the number of real estate transactions, but the value of those transactions has dropped significantly," Smith said. "In 2009, 63 percent of the transactions were under $150,000.

And Rick DeMar of the Builder's Association of Western Nevada said individual homeowners expect their taxes to go down because their assessed value has gone down.