Yes, I have an opinion on Maricopa County granting temporary-use permits to allow underage residents.
I have been a resident of Sun City since 1999. I have lived to see Youngtown lose their over 55-plus tax exemption on school taxes because their local government did not enforce their own tax exemption and it cost every Yougtown resident to end up paying school taxes. Nobody in Youngtown was awake to what was going on, when suddenly the Dysart school system bus stopped to pick up a child in Youngtown who was an eligible student for the Dysart school system. Bang Youngtown school tax exemption disappeared.
Federal law says that if a town or city allows more than 12% of their population to be under the age of 18, their tax exemptions disappears.
Sun City residents have be vigilant. If you see a yellow school bus in Sun City streets, follow it and report the child’s address to Sun City Home Owners Association and the Recreation Centers of Sun City. We could wake up one morning and our 55-and older tax exemption disappears.
David Owinell
Sun City
Editor’s Note: Youngtown’s loss of its age overlay was more complicated than Owinell describes.
