Throwing more money at the same problem does not fix the problem. Why is the answer for our town’s debt by our leaders always to tax the residents of our town?

What is the council’s plan for the $7 million dollars that will be collected over the years? What is the council’s plan for the future so we will not be in this situation again? Prior to everyone voting on this very important issue, I would ask every council member to think about this and come up with a detailed plan on how the money from the primary property tax will be allocated.

Wouldn’t every resident of this community want to know that prior to voting on this? It also seems that councilmembers have different opinions on what amount of money it will take to help the town’s situation. Do we really know? Does the council know how the Fountain Hills property tax rate compares with surrounding towns? Are we higher than Scottsdale and other towns? How will adding a primary property tax affect the resale values of our homes in this town?

If we are trying to get families to move here, why do we want to make it more expensive to live here? Our leaders have a responsibility to answer these questions and to have a detailed plan when placing an additional tax on the ballot. You also, as a resident of this town, should be thinking about this as well and coming to a conclusion whether this tax is good or does it enable our leaders to do “more of the same.”

Editor’s note: The Town Council has not approved a ballot measure for a primary property tax, but rather requested further information and potential wording for such an item to be prepared. The meeting to discuss these issues further is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Nov. 21.