The answer is The Golder Ranch Fire District.
Would you believe that none other than John Fink, Fire Chief of The Golder Ranch Fire District is the newly elected chairman of Arizona Urban Fire District Association (AUFDA). This is a group recently formed, just hired retired Apache Junction fire chief John Flynn at a salary of $30,000 ($5,000 /District) as their lobbyist. Lobby for what you ask? Read on!
Quoting Chief John Fink: "Because of slower housing market, lack of growth within the districts, tax revolt issues , effecting fire districts, initiatives being circulatedin gathering petitions to be completed by July 3 to make the November ballot, the Prop13 Initiative,this can have devastating effects on Arizona Fire Districts."
While Arizona grassroots organizations such as Prop 13 Arizona and Arizona Tax Revolt are fighting to lower the people's property tax, our Fire District---Golder Ranch is spearheading the effort to fight this.
Read about these two initiatives here and just maybe you'd like to ask the three Oro Valley incumbents what they think about this, inasmuch as they are as responsible as anyone why we are "stuck" with Golder Ranch Fire District and their exorbitant rates.
Prop 13 Arizona Initiative is a group of Arizona citizens who watched the property assessment system let speculators drive up property valuations year after year, causing unexpected and unaffordable tax increases on property owners.
Prop 13 Arizona will
1. Roll back valuations to 2003 assessed full cash value or purchase price after December 31, 2003
2. Cap total tax at 1/2 of 1% for all residential property and 1% for commercial property and land
3. Limit tax increases to 2% a year
4. Eliminate speculative assessments and the need for assessment appeals
To learn more just click here.
Arizona Tax Revolt is a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to promote the Property Tax Levy and Rollback measures. Arizona Tax Revolt is non-partisan. Their goal is to reduce property taxes and limit future increases, benefiting all Arizona real property owners. To learn more just click here.
3 comments:
So.......what do our dear Town Council incumbents have to say?? They so willingly told us the other night how Rural Metro was a privately held company in the business to make money and is on the NY stock exchange. They told us Golder Ranch was different - I'm sure the three of them knew this info. at the forum.
I still want to know from the Town Council, why they did not make OV a fire district and contract and negotiate our services with a provider?
Raindancer
HMMMMM...... one must wonder what the connection is between current council member and GRFD?
I noticed that a certain (unfavorite) council member that is running for re-election is using a campaign endorsement from Golder Ranch Captain Dan Klement.
One must also wonder if the the dots can be connected between the same council member and Cheif John Fink. Maybe we should ask for the Town Attorney to look a bit deeper into this relationship.
Once again, it is the appearance of impropriety that concerns me and this might be more than just a "gut" feeling.
While I am subscriber to the idea of a prop 13 type property tax control, I have a problem with the proponents' vision as to how to apply the 'numbers' at this time. Assessing at a 'purchase price', especially after 2003, is seemingly unfair as a purchase price will not necessarily reflect the actual value of a piece of property. Some properties, purchased a year or so ago, may have fallen in value and may remain below their purchase price for some time if the purchase, for example, was made during the 'hot' spell. Some properties purchased prior to 2003 may be relatively low as many of them were purchased years ago and their values may have spiked quite steeply. There is a house in my neighborhood that recently sold for approximately $90,000 less than actual value simply because the owners spouse died and she wanted an IMMEDIATE sale and wasn't interested in the 'extra' money. So, we need a prop 13 but what will be a truly fair determination of application? In 1989, before I left California for the East Coast, as my house had been purchased prior to the enactment of prop 13 there, my property taxes were 4 times lower than the house next door which had been purchased after the enactment but was approximately of the same value. So, really, how fair was that? What we need is a bill that can put controls on property taxation, allow for the assessment of value in a fair and just manner, and establish a realistic date for it's determination (probably on or about the date of enactment). And then, establish a strict limit/control on subsequent increases! As to the lobbying against a prop 13 by entities such as Golder Ranch - what can you expect from a portion of society that wallows in greed and a society that allows for it? If it's paid for by taxes, so what. That's government!
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