ACHD News Blog Thursday, August 26, 2021

ADA COUNTY-- Ada County Highway District Commissioners approved the budget for Fiscal Year 2022. 

The $150,613,900 budget was unanimously approved after Wednesday evening's Public Hearing. 

The commission voted to collect $45,223,000 in revenue from property tax, an increase of about $3 million. 

The financial impact to residents will vary based on each resident's property value. For example, a property valued at $421,000 in 2020 paid $171.53 in property taxes to the Ada County Highway District last year. Under the newly approved budget, that same property can expect to pay about $191.50 in property taxes in 2021, a difference of about $20 for the year. 

The increase is broken down as follows: Commissioners approved approximately $1,273,400 in revenue for the allowable 3% increase and $1,329,700 from new construction. Commissioners also approved a resolution to take 1% of foregone for maintenance and operation, about $450,000. 

Commissioners opted not to take the 3% allowable foregone funds (about $1.3 million) for capital projects. The amount would have been removed at the end of the specified project timeline. 

As part of the motion to approve the budget, commissioners also agreed to four conditions:  

• Reform the impact fee ordinance over the next year with a new ordinance adopted by June 1. 
• Compiling all future capital projects into a single integrated priority list, to be voted on by the commission. 
• The commission will adopt a process for budgeting and scoping process in the integrated five-year workplan to use temporary traffic calming features where neighbors have expressed concern 
• No increase in compensation for commissioners or the director 

"Within our limited power as a body, I believe the Commission came to a fair decision on the FY2022 budget that will serve Ada County well in the coming year," said Commission President Kent Goldthorpe. "We have done our part to approve a responsible budget and now the team members of ACHD will put each dollar to work to continue to build, improve and maintain our transportation infrastructure." 

The approved budget will be posted in its entirety once completed.

Click here to watch Wednesday's Public Hearing.