Recently some friends visited Prescott, Ariz., a small town that is booming. They described mall complexes, incredible shopping, with traffic bumper to bumper. They lunched at the brewery; the square was packed, there were people everywhere downtown. In a nutshell, they found Prescott to be a vibrant, economically viable small town.

This is the type of vibrancy that Fountain Hills should be focusing on; economic development done correctly, attracting tourists and enticing business. Being on the edge of a metro area does not mean Fountain Hills can’t build a tax base that will support the needs of our town. Other communities on the metro edge, like Cave Creek, are growing. Even Anthem is booming and tiny Queen Creek in the East Valley is seen as the fastest growing area. Plus we have the added advantage of the Beeline, with its massive daily commuter stream to downtown Scottsdale and Phoenix.

If we had something to sell they might just stop and spend some money or even look at buying a home where the property taxes are still affordable. Our town must step up their game and not hit its citizens with a massive property tax. I will be voting no.