The District that keeps irrigation water flowing to Ada and Canyon County has sent out a final warning to 83 people to pay up or face losing their homes.
The Nampa and Meridian Irrigation District (NMID) provides irrigation water to 69,000 acres of farmland, homes and commercial property. Every year, it charges property owners a tax, to pay for upkeep on the canals, laterals, drains and dams in the water system. Many owners don’t realize they owe the tax, even if they don’t use the irrigation water.
NMID Secretary Treasurer Daren Coon says owners have three years to pay on delinquent taxes. Unpaid bills from 2012-2014 are now at the final stage of collection. Coon says 83 properties in Ada and Canyon Counties owe $109,000.
The average tax bill is $1,319. But Coon says some homes could be sold because they owe just a fraction of that amount. One Boise property, worth $415,000, could be sold to recover $697 in irrigation taxes.
Coon says owners that don’t pay face a tax deed action.
“It represents a last ditch measure the District goes to great length to prevent, but which state law demands if the taxes are not paid,” says Coon.
He says only a small fraction of the District’s 38,000 property owners don’t pay. Coon says most people will pay up before the final December 31 deadline, but each year, a few properties will be sold at auction.
Coon says anyone with a question about their tax bill should call the NMID office at 466-7861.
Check here to see if you're up-to-date on your irrigation taxes.
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