Yet it can be shocking to see it spelled out in a property tax notice.

Stan Nelson, who lives in the Federal Heights area of Salt Lake City, said he couldn't believe that the Salt Lake County Assessor's Office set the value of his home nearly 25 percent higher than the previous year. He is set to pay $700 more in property taxes in November, compared with 2005.

"I'm almost 60 years old, and I've never seen an increase like this in any house I've ever owned," said Nelson, who is trying to decide whether to appeal. He figures he probably wouldn't be successful, given the fact that home prices in his neighborhood have jumped over the past year.

Countywide, the Salt Lake County Assessor's Office determined that values of 98.4 percent of 254,262 single-family homes and condominiums increased from the previous year. Only 1.6 percent - 4,041 properties - declined in value, and not by very much.

Each year, counties conduct a review of assessed values to ensure they reflect current market prices. Salt Lake County property owners began receiving their 2006 property tax notices several weeks ago and have until Sept. 15 to decide whether to appeal their valuations. This year, home values were up 10 percent to more than 20 percent from last year, pushing the average increase to 14 percent, said Lee Gardner, county assessor.

The increases mirror the rise in selling prices recorded by the Wasatch Front Multiple Listing Service, which tracks selling prices in Utah's most highly populated counties.

For example, the Salt Lake County median home price in the second quarter rose 20.8 percent, to $220,000, compared with the same period in 2005.

Only two ZIP codes along the Wasatch Front - Lindon in Utah County and South Ogden in Weber County - recorded price declines in the second quarter.

In Salt Lake County, nearly all neighborhoods recorded double-digit price increases.

With such large gains in value, Gardner said he is bracing for an influx of appeals.

But so far they haven't materialized. Last year, about 1.25 percent of homeowners appealed their valuations - a historical low. So far this year, the number of appeals is trailing even last year's low rate.

"It's surprising, when you think about it, how few appeals we have received," Gardner said.

The low rate could be due in part to more people believing that the system is stacked against them and that their appeals would not be successful. But Gardner believes the reason is that many homeowners these days have a pretty good idea what their properties are worth - and how much home prices are increasing.

"There has been so much media attention on the fact that property values are skyrocketing [along the Wasatch Front] that I think the public is very well in tune with what is happening," Gardner said.

In any case, Gardner advises homeowners to take a good look at their property tax bills. He said increasing property values may or may not be what is driving your tax bill to new heights.

Here's why: Property taxes are set using a complicated formula based only in part on property values. And Utah's Truth in Taxation law tends to stabilize the overall amount collected based on property valuations from year to year.

But there are a number of other factors driving up property taxes - such as increasing levies by individual cities and school districts, as well as by new fees, including special improvements and voter-approved bonds, said Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, president of the Utah Taxpayers Association.

"People think they are seeing an increase [in their property taxes] because they had an increase in their property tax valuation," Stephenson said. "But chances are, they would have seen an increase even without their property rising in value."

Stephenson said final tax bills will be sent out in the days before Utahns go to the polls - and when they will be asked to approve a number of initiatives, such as funding an expansion of the valley's light rail system. That could increase property taxes even more next year.

Three bond items, covering TRAX expansion, open space issues and Zoo, Arts and Parks recreation projects, are set to appear on the ballot Nov. 7. If approved by voters, the proposals would cost an estimated $1 billion, translating into an increase of $133 a year in property taxes on a $200,000 home.

Stephenson said he is wondering whether homeowners experiencing huge increases in their property taxes this year will be less likely to approve any initiatives that will cause further increases next year.

"I'm going to vote against every one of them because I want to keep my home," said Leo Malin, who lives in the Sugar House area of Salt Lake City on a fixed income and is facing a $200 property tax increase in November. The items on the November ballot "are luxury items to me. They take money away from my family," he said.

But not all homeowners oppose a measure just because it would raise their property taxes. As gas prices hover at record highs, light rail continues to grow in popularity, and a Salt Lake Tribune poll in June revealed that 60 percent of county voters would approve the bond measure.

Malin, though, has plenty of company when it comes to worrying about property taxes. In a national telephone survey of 1,000 people conducted in June by the National Association of Realtors, more than one-third of respondents said rising property taxes were the biggest barrier to attaining or retaining homeownership. An increase in energy costs was No. 2, at 28 percent, followed by rising interest rates, at 14 percent.

Thella Mae Christensen, who lives in the Avenues area of Salt Lake City - one of the city's most rapidly appreciating neighborhoods - certainly can relate. Christensen saw her valuation this year rise by nearly one-third, from $200,000 to nearly $263,000. She paid $1,645 in property taxes for 2005 and said she was shocked to learn that her proposed taxes for this year are $2,012.

Christensen, who is retired, has lived in the same home since 1972 but fears that rising property taxes, combined with rising gas prices and utility costs, will force her to sell her beloved home at some point.

"I like where I live, and I want to stay here," she said. "But I am on a fixed income. All these increases are hard to take."

lesley@sltrib.com

Appealing your property tax assessment

1. Start with the Salt Lake County Assessor's Office, 2001 S. State St., Room N2300, Salt Lake City, UT 84190. Phone: 801-468-3050. Web site: http://www.assessor.slco.org. Personnel will consult with homeowners about how the value of their home was determined. No appointments are needed. Homeowners also can make sure the description of their property - including the square footage and lot size - is correct.

2. If you still want to appeal your property tax valuation, contact the Salt Lake County Board of Equalization, 2001 S. State St., Room N2250, Salt Lake City, UT 84190. Phone: 801-468-3645. Web site: http://www.slcotaxadmin.org. Appeals, accepted through Sept. 15, can be completed online, sent through the mail or delivered in person to board offices.

l To support an appeal, include supporting evidence at the time of filing. Acceptable evidence includes an appraisal, prices of comparable neighborhood properties that recently sold or a closing statement if you recently purchased the property. Another example: If the county is assessing a homeowner's unfinished basement as a completely finished basement, the homeowner should demonstrate that the basement is unfinished.

l The Board of Equalization will review the appeal documents. Homeowners can request a hearing. Tax bills are sent out in mid- to late October, with tax payment due Nov. 30. If the appeal is not resolved by the time tax bills are due, homeowners should pay the outstanding balance. If their appeal is successful, they may get a partial refund. If their property taxes are rolled into their mortgage payment, their mortgage company will adjust the escrow account.

Appealing your property tax assessment

1. Start with the Salt Lake County Assessor's Office, 2001 S. State St., Room N2300, Salt Lake City, Utah 84190. Phone: 801-468-3050. Web site: http://www.assessor.slco.org. Personnel will consult with homeowner about how the value of their home was determined. No appointments are needed. Homeowners also can make sure the description of their property - including the square footage and lot size - is correct.

2. If you still want to appeal your property tax valuation, contact the Salt Lake County Board of Equalization 2001 S. State St., Room N2250, SLC, UT 84190-1001. Phone: 801 468-3645. Web site: http://www.slcotaxadmin.org. Appeals, accepted through Sept. 15 can be completed online, sent through the mail or delivered in person to board offices.

* To support an appeal, include supporting evidence at the time of filing. Acceptable evidence includes an appraisal, prices of comparable neighborhood properties that recently sold or a closing statement if you recently purchased the property. Another example: If the county is assessing a homeowner's unfinished basement as a completely finished basement, homeowner should demonstrate that basement is unfinished.

* The Board of Equalization will review the appeal documents. Homeowners can request a hearing. Tax bills are sent out in mid- to late October, with tax payment due on Nov. 30. If the appeal is not resolved by the time tax bills are due, homeowners should pay the outstanding balance. If their appeal is successful, they may get a partial refund. If their property taxes are rolled into their mortgage payment, their mortgage company will adjust the escrow account.