My household supports the town council’s decision to implement a primary property tax. We would have done so without the specter of a lagoon as alternative.

Why? Because the town was set up to be supported by development fees and sales tax. Except for the state trust land, we’re almost built out so development fees have dried up. Shopping patterns have changed, and no amount of encouraging people to buy locally will persuade them to give up shopping on Amazon or in Scottsdale. A property tax was inevitable.

For the price of a nice lunch out once a month, we can maintain infrastructure, keep the town running well and pay town staff decent salaries. For us, this is a clear yes.

Now I’d like to see the council address another problem: the many vacant commercial buildings.

They are a blight on the town. They create the impression that Fountain Hills is not thriving. At what point does that begin to affect people’s desire to move here, and by extension property values for all of us?

The building on Shea that formerly housed Kentucky Fried Chicken has stood empty for a decade.

Fountain Hills has become a dumping ground for vacant commercial buildings that serve as someone’s tax write-off.

If I own commercial property here, I have an obligation to not do anything with my property that will harm the town. Leaving buildings vacant harms the town.

I’d like to see the council establish a vacant commercial property tax at a rate sufficient to spur commercial property owners to action.