Nic Joins Call For New Crack At Local Tax Cut Embraced Again: A Bill To End Local Property Taxes As Fund Source

Legislators and community college officials from both northern and southern Idaho met via satellite Saturday to devise a plan to help reduce property taxes in three counties.

They decided to push a bill that would have the state pay more for community colleges - rather than local property owners.

It will be the second time the bill has been attempted.

“We came so very close last time,” said Leroy Craig, chairman of the College of Southern Idaho board of trustees. “We have a good bill. I think we need to just stick to this one.”

Idaho’s universities are completely state funded and don’t levy any local property taxes.

However, local property taxes pay for a third of Idaho’s two community colleges - North Idaho College and College of Southern Idaho. Kootenai, Jerome and Twin Falls counties are the only counties to pay property taxes for these colleges.

Most legislators in those counties believe the taxing situation is unfair.

Legislation - called House Bill 702 - was introduced last session by Rep. Ron Black, R-Twin Falls. The measure would have allowed some of the property taxes to be replaced by $5 million from liquor profits that currently go to the state general fund.

Although the bill passed the House it died in the Senate last session.

Officials with the two colleges discussed what to do next on Saturday. They met in two groups - one at NIC in Coeur d’Alene and the other at CSI in Twin Falls. They were able to talk to one another via a video conferencing system set up at each school.

NIC President Robert Bennett said the officials with the two have decided to resurrect HB 702 or a very similar bill.

“This is our best bet,” he said.

“I’ll support it again if it comes before us,” said Rep. Marv Vandenbergh, D-Coeur d’Alene.

Rep. Hilde Kellogg, R-Post Falls, said she did not support the bill last legislative session because Gov. Phil Batt had not budgeted for it.

However, she said she would support the bill in the coming session if the governor budgets for it.

Bennett said he and other college officials plan to meet with the governor and his budget adviser as soon as possible.

However, Bennett conceded that plans may change if the One Percent Initiative passes in the next election. The initiative would put a cap on the amount of property taxes that can be levied.

“If One percent passes then it’s a great deal of concern how that will be interpreted as to community college funding,” he said.

, DataTimes