June 7, 1999
Do you know how much you'll pay in taxes next year?
Micron does, and it's a lot less than what the computer chip company's
paid in the past.
That means fewer tax dollars for Lehi city and schools.
Central Utah Correspondent Amy Westerby has the story.
This is like an inheritance Lehi and its schools were planning on.
They thought they'd get a lot of money from Micron, and now they're just
going to get a little.
Fortunately they didn't spend it before they had it in the bank.
Up until today, David Stilwell assumed the city of Lehi would cut into his
front yard, to turn this two lane road into a five lane thoroughfare.
But now, the city has put all road renovation plans on hold.
Stilwell says, "If it's on the backburner and they're not going to do that,
that would be very welcome news."
But Stilwell's news is not so welcome at city hall.
The money Lehi had counted on to expand a number of roads is not going to
surface.
City Administrator Ed Collins says, "Our expectations were created and now
they're not being met, so it's a little upsetting."
The company behind the upset is Micron.
It's Lehi computer chip plant hit Utah tax rolls in 1996 as a "construction
work in progress."
That year Micron paid $379-million to Uncle Sam and $532-million the next
two years.
But now, three years later, Micron says it can't finish the building with
the market in a slump.
So tax assessors can't consider this concrete shell in Lehi a "construction
work in progress" anymore.
That means Micron only has to pay taxes on the market value of its
building.
That is $208.4-million.
That means less money for Lehi roads and schools.
But Alpine District says it's not worried.
Keith Bradford, of the Alpine School District, says, "Well, luckily we had not
planned on spending that money, the money had been being set aside in our
accounts waiting until we saw what the actual impact of Micron would be."
Even with petering taxes, the Alpine School District and Lehi say Micron has
benefitted the city.
The early tax dollars helped pay for an overhaul of the utility system.
