Gilbert Town Councilmember Jim Torgeson has signaled his intent to seek a reduction in the town's secondary property tax for fiscal year 2025-26, emphasizing the financial relief it could provide residents.
"Property tax is the most progressive evil form of tax there is,” Torgeson said. “It just is.”
He argued that such taxes burden homeowners without offering a choice, unlike sales taxes, which are consumption-based.
"You're putting a mortgage on someone's home, that's what you're doing," he added.
Torgeson revealed his target reduction to bring the secondary property tax rate down from 98 cents per $100 assessed valuation to as low as 96 cents, despite a year that projects to be tight on revenues for the town.
"How about we give people a break for once?” he said, noting that the town’s current interest rates are lower than inflation. “We haven't incurred any new debt. I'd rather have that $12 in somebody's pocket for a couple pounds of meat rather than, 'Oh, we can pay this off a little faster.'"
The town historically has set the secondary property tax levy at a rate equal to the town’s debt service on its bonds. However, in 2023, Torgeson won approval for his proposal to reduce the secondary property tax rate by one cent, worth about $265,000.
Acknowledging the voter-approved nature of the town’s existing debt, Torgeson expressed concerns over slim majority votes driving tax increases.
"Just because voter approved, it's as painful as telling somebody their water's going up,” he said. “You don’t have a choice in it."
Torgeson also highlighted his openness to alternative taxation methods, suggesting a shift toward sales tax increases rather than property taxes. However, he was firm about avoiding a dual tax burden.
"If we can get away from property taxes, I'm going to support increasing the sales tax,” he said. “I'm not doing both."
The town council will consider preliminary approval to the budget and secondary property tax levy in May and final approval in June.
We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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