(Bannock County Newsletter, June 4, 2024; Cover Photo: Bannock County)

Let the budgeting begin!

The Bannock County Clerk’s Office began the budgeting process for Fiscal Year 2025 in April. This is a summer-long process to set a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which runs from October 1 to September 30.

The budget process starts when the Clerk’s Office sends budget sheets to departments. These sheets contain information on the previous year’s budget as well as actual expenditure and revenue information. There’s also a column for department heads to enter their department’s budget request for the upcoming year.

Department heads returned completed budget requests (including requests for any large, one-time purchases) on May 10, 2024. These requests include priorities for each department to determine what requests are a “want” vs. a “need” and information regarding how the estimated request amounts were determined.

The next steps in the budgeting process are:

• June 17-20 — Individual department meetings with the Clerk and Commission where departments present their budget requests and justify any changes in their budget to the Clerk and Commissioners.

• July 11 — Clerk proposes his recommended budget to the Board of Commissioners. This is a balanced budget where estimated revenues equal estimated expenditures.

• July 22-30 — Budget work sessions between the Clerk and Commission to make alterations to the Clerk’s recommended budget. This includes another opportunity for departments to request modifications or provide updated information that would impact the FY25 budget.

• July 31 — The deadline for the Board of Commissioners to complete a proposed budget for publication, which allows the public to review the proposed FY25 budget.

• August 27 — The public hearing for the FY25 Budget will be held at 11 a.m. at the courthouse. This hearing provides an opportunity for the public to comment on the proposed budget. At this meeting, the Board may vote to officially approve the budget or delay it until no later than the second Monday in September.

Once the budget is approved, the county can operate and provide essential services in the upcoming fiscal year. Budgets are funded through revenue sources that include charges for services, licenses, fees, and fines, intergovernmental revenues (sales tax, highway user revenue, etc.), cash reserves, and property taxes.

Each taxing district sets a budget for its fiscal year.

There are 31 other taxing districts in Bannock County, which include:

• seven cities
• five school districts
• seven fire districts
• six cemetery districts
• two library districts
• two highway districts
• one county-wide ambulance district

Depending on where you live, you pay into multiple taxing districts. For example, if you live in the City of McCammon, you will pay county, road and bridge, ambulance, abatement, city, school district, cemetery, and library district taxes.

To find out which taxing districts you live in (that you pay into), use our Taxing Districts Code Area Map.

Once budgets for these districts are set, the next step is to calculate levy rates for each taxing district. Levy rates are calculated with this formula:

Property tax requested amount ÷ Taxable assessed value

= District levy rate

The levy rate is then multiplied by your property’s taxable value (see the assessment notice you just received) to determine your tax bill that the Treasurer’s Office sends out in November.

We encourage you to tune into our budget meetings (and the budget meetings for your other taxing districts). You can sign up to receive the Board of Commissioners’ agendas here, so that you know when meetings will be held. They’re all live-streamed on our YouTube page, so you can watch when it’s convenient for you if you can’t attend in person.