The town Manager, Bryce Haderlie, sent me this information regarding the annexation of county properyt east of Hwy 143. Please read carefully and respond with your questions or comments. Any comments for or against the annexation posted here will be shared at the public hearing on the appointed dates.

BRIAN HEAD TOWN ANNEXATION PROCESS      July 11, 2008

Due to the overwhelming request of property owners, the Town of Brian Head has initiated the annexation of an area which lies between Rue Jolley and Steam Engine Meadows subdivision.  Those requesting the annexation understand the benefit of having access to utilities, garbage collection, police, fire, and road maintenance services by the Town.
The proposed annexation includes the following Iron County subdivisions:  Cedar Breaks Mountain Estates Units A, B, and C; Cedar Breaks Mountain Homesites Units A and C; Timbercrest; Sunset Mountain; and Ski Haven Chalet Units A, B and C. 
There has been some concern expressed by other property owners in regards to what services the Town will provide and additional taxes.  To that extent, we offer the following:

SERVICES
The Town will:
• Grade and maintain the existing roads at least once in the spring and as needed during the summer.
• Provide regular police patrol of the area which has been the responsibility of the County Sheriff’s Department.
• Provide trash collection containers in the area that has not been serviced prior to the annexation.
• Charge water and sewer rates for those connected to the system at the same rate as the incorporated area.
• Provide opportunities for citizens to request improvements such as water and sewer line extensions as well as road improvements through Special Improvement Districts (SID). This would require over 50% of the people in an area signing a petition for the work. The benefits of an SID is that the Town organizes and manages the work, and the cost to each property owner can be paid over time with interest rates much lower than on the open market.
• Allow neighborhoods to remain undeveloped if that is what a majority of the citizens chose to do.
• Honor existing building permits, land use and setbacks obtained and constructed legally under the County jurisdiction.

The Town will not:
• Force people to connect to water or sewer services unless it is part of a public health issue and in conformance with the ordinances already established by the County.
• Do snow removal on any street that has not been improved to a minimum gravel base course per the Brian Head Town Public Works Standards.
• Use general fund tax revenue for building or improving roads. Road maintenance will be funded through the collection of B&C road funds and General Fund Property Taxes.

TAXES
Property taxes are collected to provide the government services such as police, fire, street maintenance, etc.  In the event that the annexation is passed, Brian Head property taxes would not go into effect until 2009. 

The County is in the process of setting an additional tax for unincorporated areas to be similar to the incorporated community’s taxes. That rate is anticipated to be .001849 or $46.23 on a $25,000 property valuation. This amount would not be collected by the County if annexed into the Town.  Instead, one would see a line item for Brian Head, whose current tax rate is .002713 or $67.83 on a $25,000 property valuation.  The estimated difference:  $21.60 a year. *One can multiple their actual assessed valuation by the two rates then take the difference to get a more accurate estimate for their particular situation.

There will be a Public Hearing to address the annexation on July 22, 2008, at 1:00 p.m. at Brian Head Town Hall, 56 North Highway 143, Brian Head, Utah. We appreciate the support of everyone who realizes the advantage that can be had by being part of the Town and look forward to the opportunity to serve you.