Taxes in Pinal County and citizens making a difference

378

In light of the fact that our summer has landed on us with a vengeance, I thought I’d start this month’s column with a cool, refreshing reminder that on July 23, 1904, someone wonderful invented the ice cream cone! It’s only with the greatest reluctance that I don’t stop writing right now and head downtown to get one.

Last month’s calendar had a number of interesting events with long-term consequences. Mary Lou Rosales and her intrepid band of agency volunteers put on their third annual Resource Roundup for the county’s multitude of social service agencies: nearly 300 dedicated employees and volunteers gathered together to discuss critical issues, hear presentations on current and pending legislation of concern and generally network with others facing similar challenges of growing demands for services. Overall, the mood of these fabulous people was (and is) enthusiastic and energetic: on behalf of Arizona Senator Rebecca Rios and the organizing committee, I was honored to present Ms. Rosales with a plaque in recognition of her vision and commitment to the Resource Roundup.

Speaking of people who care, Pinal County employees Steve Joyce and David Kuhl – a pair of golf devotees – organized their third annual golf tournament to benefit various charitable organizations in the county. Eighty-six golfers from around the county and the larger area came together on a Saturday in June to help raise in excess of $4,000 for the Casa Grande Food Bank. Previous tournaments aided the Tri-Community and Apache Junction Food Banks. Fans of the game of golf can be reassured: I didn’t actually play in the tournament, but I did cook burgers and hot dogs for those who played. Congratulations and thanks to Mr. Kuhl and Mr. Joyce for their commitment to our county.

The middle of June was also packed with activities; as a member of the CANAMEX Corridor Taskforce I traveled to Tucson for parts of the Arizona-Mexico Commission meetings. There are some significant developments in arrangements to foster trade and commerce between the states of Arizona and Sonora, as well as serious talks about issues of economic development, water, air quality, health services, tourism, emergency management, agribusiness and transportation. Pinal County has formally joined the Commission, and I expect we’ll have an increasingly vital role to play as the level of commerce increases.

Later that week I was honored to learn that I have been elected to the Board of Directors for the Arizona Town Hall – I join former Casa Grande Mayor Bob Mitchell as one of two directors for Pinal County – as the Town Hall organization completes its 45th year. Although this is my second stint of serving as a member of their board of directors, the issues facing our state are even more critical, and the Town Hall’s semi-annual citizen exploration of those areas of concern will be of enormous help to the state’s policy makers.

The week after that 14 area high school and middle school teachers participated in the third annual Partners Advancing Student Success (PASS) program, organized by the Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by several local industries. The county and a number of local businesses played host to teachers for either a morning or an afternoon in order to acquaint them with the variety of functions in those organizations. Both the teachers and the participating businesses agreed that the exchange of information on both sides was invaluable. Teachers rode along with a County Animal Control officer and an Environmental Health inspector, as well as sitting in with representatives of the Treasurer’s Office, the Justice of the Peace, and the County Supervisor’s Office.

What lies ahead on the calendar: setting tax rates for local governments, taxing entities and the county’s budget. In late June the Board of Supervisors set the county’s tentative budget at $498 million. The primary property tax rate for FY2007-08 will be $4.01 per $100 of assessed value which is a decrease of 29 cents from the current tax rate. I might add at this point that the current primary tax rate was a 13 cent decrease from the previous year’s rate, and so I am pleased to be able to say to you that we will have lowered the Pinal County primary property tax rate by 43 cents over the past two fiscal years. Pinal County’s primary tax rate is now the lowest it’s been since 1989! And it’s my goal to see that primary tax rate at the $3/$100 assessed value level by 2012 or sooner.

A frequent question this year has been “why did my taxes go up?” The answer is: in Pinal County, the county’s tax rate went down (and will continue to do so), but the assessed values of property are going up. For those who own land that they live on – with no plan or expectation to convert it for development purposes – having land that’s worth more is a mixed blessing. It may mean that ultimately their estate is more valuable to their heirs in the long run, but the tax bill may increase over the previous year’s amount. Assessed values are a function of the general real estate market and the movement of properties in the area of each parcel. The Pinal County Assessor’s Office is responsible for tracking those assessed values. I’ll have more on taxes in next month’s column.

Finally, I invite you to consider making a donation to help support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Stanfield Associated Women have put together some drop-boxes at various locations: Home Health Insights, 121 W. Florence Blvd Suite A in Casa Grande, Rinker/ Cemax, 2305 S. Rooftile Road (west of Casa Grande), Stanfield Cafe or Laveigh’s, 36796 W. Hwy 84 in Stanfield and at Maricopa Payday Loans 21116 N. John Wayne Parkway (Suite B8) in Maricopa. SAW is accepting magazines, non-perishable snacks, non-aerosol air fresheners and monetary donations to help with the shipping costs.

Have an opinion you’d like to share with Maricopa? Please email it (500-750 words) and any applicable photos to [email protected] for consideration.