Maricopa County taking comments on proposed property tax increase
Jun 17, 2015, 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:00 am
PHOENIX — Maricopa County is weighing whether to increase property taxes and is holding a public meeting to hear what residents think about the proposal.
The county is seeking to increase property tax revenue by nearly $21 million or 4.6 percent.
“What we’re looking at here is a $6.02 increase on a $100,000 home,” said Fields Moseley, communications director for Maricopa County.
So for example, property taxes on a home worth $100,000 would cost $136.09 if the increase is approved, compared to $130.07 last year.
Moseley said the increase is primarily to make up for lower revenues that were brought on by the recession when property values plummeted. It is also an attempt to make up increasing costs, particularly in the areas of jails and detention, as the county has continued to grow.
“As more inmates have come into the system, the county has grown significantly, (the detention fund) is no longer keeping up with the expenditures that have to come out of it,” he said.
The public hearing on the increase will take place on June 22 at 10 a.m. in the conference room at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, 301 W. Jefferson, 10th Floor in downtown Phoenix.
Moseley said the Board of Supervisors will take a final vote on the proposal in August.
