Concerned citizens consider recalling college board

The Citizens for Fair Taxation (CFFT) hosted a town hall gathering Monday at Copper Sky Multigenerational Complex to discuss and protest Central Arizona College’s increase to its primary tax rate.

“[The CAC Governing Board] have been with cash like crack addicts are with drugs,” said CFFT organizer Garland Shreves, a Casa Grande entrepreneur. “Their problem isn’t money. It’s spending. That’s what they don’t understand.”

The tax rate increase motivated Shreves to start a campaign to recall four of the five members of the board of governors.

Approximately 20 concerned citizens attended the meeting at Copper Sky to hear Shreves’ presentation on the issues.

For Shreves, the issue dates back to 2013 when the CAC Governing Board made plans to adopt a nearly 35 percent increase on its primary tax rate. The taxation would have raised the cost per $100 of net assessed value from around $1.61 to $2.16. The issue was settled at a 17.5 percent increase that raised the primary tax to roughly $1.91 per $100.

This year, the board initially proposed a 45.4 percent increase to the primary tax rate. The number was lowered to 20.3 percent on June 9 due to public outcry, but the primary tax was still raised to approximately $2.30 per $100. This rate marks the highest primary tax CAC has had for a budget year (surpassing the $2.17 per $100 seen in the 2002-03 fiscal year).

“There was no analysis to determine how this would affect businesses in Pinal County,” Shreves said. “There was no analysis to determine the impact on the farming and ranching in Pinal County. Ranching and farming is still an integral part of both our economy in this county, and our heritage.”

Shreves said tax increases in Pinal County have already driven significant amounts of money provided by farmers and ranchers elsewhere over the last five years.

“We are being truly taxed into oblivion in Pinal County,” Shreves said. “This will discourage businesses from coming to Pinal County. We will lose potential jobs because those companies will not want to come here because they will look at what the long term tax consequences are.”

CFFT is actively pursuing signatures on a recall petition against board members Gladys Christensen, Rita Nader, Rick Gibson and Jack Yarrington by Sept. 27.

Maricopa City Councilmember Nancy Smith said citizen involvement should have started much earlier.

“We need people that are involved at the beginning stages of this,” Maricopa City Council member Nancy Smith said. “We need people who are part of the conversation early on. We can’t come to these [town hall] meetings and speak. We have to go to the meetings where they’re making the decisions and be a part of those decisions.”

The CFFT pursued legal action against the CAC Governing Board based on alleged violations to Arizona’s truth in taxation laws and open meeting laws. They claim people were turned away and not given the opportunity to hear the proceedings after the doors to the meeting were closed.