Check out the minutes of the council meeting and see how they came up with the $7 million for a town property tax. One councilman tossed out $8 million, another $4 million, another said let’s make a deal at $7 million.
The town now estimates a budget shortfall or $6.4 million per year for the next 10 years. Law will not allow a deficit budget. They’re guessing at the $6.4 million.
Think about this: In 10 years they will have collected $70 million. They claim we needed $30 million to fix all the roads. We approved an $8 million bond and, in the last seven years, the council has had millions more in their yearly budgets for the roads. They never talk about the increases in revenue based on the bedroom fees and taxes for the 300 rooms at CopperWynd, State Revenue Sharing with over 1,000 permanent residents from new homes building in the last two years, or the 400 apartments at Park Place. How about Sales Tax revenue from two blocks of new stores at Park Place?
In a recent letter, I listed 29 other sources of revenue from which the town collects taxes and fees, like permit fees. In 2016 they collected $2.5 million. The 2016 surplus was $760,000; what could be the surplus in 2017?
The Adero Canyon property on Eagle Ridge Drive, as well as property in the Eagles Nest subdivision, is transitioning from MCO Properties to Toll Brothers. Considering Eagles Nest is next to the 2,000 acres we annexed, do you really believe it will never be built on? Adero Canyon Phase II, if approved, will add 235 homes.
Dennis, my point about Scottsdale is not about comparing us. It’s is in reply to your statement, other towns hardly raise the tax.
