The House has killed legislation from Idaho counties to allow an increase in a cap on property tax levies for county justice related services, from sheriff’s patrols to jail operations, from twenty hundredths of a percent of taxable market value, or .002, to twenty-five hundredths of a percent, or .0025. Sixteen of the 32 Idaho counties that have a justice levy are at or near the cap, limiting their ability to pay for required justice-related services.

According to the bill, any county that increased its justice levy under the measure would have to reduce other county property tax levies to offset increases in the justice levy, because it still would fall under overall property tax caps unless the county has available forgone property taxes.

But House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, argued that the bill would lead to property tax increases, and Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, declared, “I don’t seem to own my home because of property taxes.”

Rep. Caroline Nilsson Troy, R-Genesee, argued strongly for the bill, and said, “I’m voting with my county commissioners and sheriffs” in favor of it.

But the bill, HB 555, failed; Moyle argued repeatedly against it, even as Troy repeatedly defended it.