The Queen Creek Town Council unanimously approved a new financial policy to freeze primary property taxes for existing taxpayers for the next five years. The action was taken during the council’s Wednesday, Nov. 2 meeting.
“Living in such a warm climate I think our residents can really appreciate this freeze,” Mayor-elect Julia Wheatley said during the meeting. “I absolutely love this. You can feel the enthusiasm.”
Council Member Dawn Oliphant added: “It’s just a great thing – you get to reduce taxes. How often do we get to say that? I’m proud to be part of this council that gets to reduce taxes. Yay for us! Yay for the community! How exciting.”
The town’s primary property tax was approved by voters in 2007 not to exceed $1.95 per $100 of assessed value and is dedicated to fund public safety. The primary property tax remained at $1.95 per $100 of assessed property value until 2020, when council voted unanimously to reduce the primary property tax rate to $1.83 per $100 of assessed value.
This new action freezes the amount of taxes paid by property owners in Queen Creek, which in turn reduces the property tax rate each year due to the anticipated increase in property values.
For example, for a home with an assessed value of $241,000 in 2023, the property tax paid will be $441 at a rate of $1.83. In 2028, that same home is anticipated to have an assessed property value of $308,000. However, the property tax paid will remain at $441, meaning the property tax rate would be $1.40 per $100 assessed value, assuming two conditions: The levy rate exceeds $1.40 per $100 of assessed value and the amount of property taxes pay for 20% or more of the police and fire expenditures from the prior fiscal year. The town will continue to collect more in property taxes each year from new construction.
In the fifth year, under the new policy, the reduction in property tax revenues will be $4.7 million. This freeze will start July 1, 2023.
The town’s public safety is funded through primary property taxes and supplemented with the town’s general fund. Shifting the funding to the general fund includes sales tax revenues, which are generated by both residents and non-residents.
Councilmembers also recognized the work the late-Mayor Gail Barney put into the effort to arrive at this current policy. Barney died in June.
“It cannot go unsaid that the mayor, as far back as June of 2020 when we did the first primary property tax reduction, was in full support … he helped drive toward this just as much as any of us on the council currently,” said Vice Mayor Jeff Brown. “I appreciate very much how we got here and under whose leadership it occurred.”
Council Member Robin Benning echoed the sentiment.
“His influence was really felt.” Benning said. “I feel like he’s sitting next to me tonight and I just say, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’ We’re there.”
Councilmembers also thanked town staff for doing the work that allowed the tax freeze.
“We had an idea. Staff also shared those ideas,” Brown said. “But then it takes the people who actually know what they are doing and are the practitioners to make it happen for us. We’re so appreciative to staff.”
At the meeting, the council also unanimously approved a resolution eliminating streetlight improvement districts or SLIDs. SLIDs are intended to recover electricity costs for lighting residential subdivisions and are included on applicable property tax bills. The reduction will amount to $200,000 annually, which will be paid from the town’s general fund.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley @AzNewsmedia
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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