ST. GEORGE — Residents in Dammeron Valley, an unincorporated community in Washington County, could be getting a tax break if their home was affected by the flash floods last month.
A severe rainstorm July 12 caused flash flooding that tore through the streets of Dammeron Valley, washed out driveways and filled some basements and backyards with mud.
After the floods, Dammeron Valley Fire Chief Kevin Dye estimated half of the 400 properties in Dammeron Valley were affected by the flooding.
Read more: Thunder cell moves through Dammeron Valley ‘with a vengeance’; 200 homes affected, volunteers needed
The property tax adjustments offered by the Washington County Commission will be for residents whose homes sustained 30 percent or more loss in value due to the natural disaster.
Those who feel they qualify are asked to call the Washington County Assessor’s Office at 435-634-5703.
The Washington County Commission will be holding a special meeting on Aug. 13 at the Dammeron Valley Fire Station to hear residents’ ideas and solutions for flood control measures. The meeting will be open to the public and provide an opportunity for people in Dammeron Valley to talk to the commissioners about what could be done to prevent a similar disaster from happening in the future.
The county commissioners also praised the clean-up effort by volunteers. There were about 1,270 who signed in to help fill sandbags and remove mud in Dammeron Valley July 14-15, but there were an estimated 1,500 in total, Washington County Sheriff Cory Pulsipher said.
Read more: 2nd storm prompts more flood relief for Dammeron Valley; 9 LDS wards cancel church services
“They had these bucket brigades with 5-gallon buckets, emptying the water and bringing stuff out of basements of homes and stripping the sheetrock and insulation out,” Pulsipher said. “It was just incredible to be part of that and help out.”
Several nearby wards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints canceled meetings on July 15 so their members could serve in Dammeron Valley, while officials from several emergency services agencies aided as well. Many businesses also donated food and water for the volunteers.
There were at least 97 different objectives that were assigned to groups of volunteers during the clean-up effort, Pulsipher said.
“Seeing all of these people, and I’m sure it represented people from all stripes in our community who showed up, it’s just amazing how we come together and help each other in a time of need,” Commissioner Dean Cox said.
More information about the tax adjustments for those affected by the floods and the public meeting Aug. 13 can be found online.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews | @SpencerRicks
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.
Lost 30% of their value? That’s a pretty high bar…. Sounds like nothing but lip service. How about wiping their taxes if their basements flooded – since the INFRASTRUCTURE FAILED.
maybe
“Those who feels that they qualify are asked to call the Washington County Assessor’s Office…” Hooked on Phonics didn’t work after all!