MCC bond issue is out of touch
Mohave Valley Daily News-Tuesday, May 15, 2007

    Editor:

In response to the article “College seeks bond issue” proposing a property tax increase. MCC is asking us voters to approve higher property taxes to the tune of $111.5 million in the very election where we will be voting on the Arizona Tax Revolt initiative which will do just the opposite, lowering taxes.

The MCC Board of Governors is out of touch with the reality that we taxpayers are tapped out and that they are just going to have to live within their constitutionally mandated levy limitation, not the equivalent of another mortgage on our homes.

We are assured that the tax increase will be only pennies per day in the first year. How disingenuous. Š Until the bonds are funded of course the additional tax would be low. As the bonds are sold our taxes would rise. In the “peak year” using their numbers we will see a 224 percent increase in this tax!

Q) Why out of the blue is MCC asking for such a huge tax increase?
A) Simple. The Arizona Tax Revolt constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote to approve this sort of unnecessary indebtedness and they want to take a crack at getting more revenue while it remains easy to do so with only a simple majority vote.

Q) The figures MCC threw out assume a $100,000 property value. I just bought a home in Bullhead City for what I understand was the median home price of $214,000. Does this mean my tax will increase by more than twice their dollar amount they showed?
A) Yes, and fully half of the new homeowners will be paying even more than you.

Q) MCC is using our property tax dollars to pay for an election to ask us for more property tax dollars, right?
A) Yes, they are gambling with our tax money, just like putting $63,605 (estimated cost of holding this election) into a slot machine in the hopes of winning the $111,500,000 jackpot.

MCC's bond measure is just the first of many money grabs by out-of-touch functionaries who which as soon as they are elected forget the taxpayers and serve only the bureaucracy. Have you ever seen one of these people campaign on a platform to increase our taxes? Perhaps when one does, I might be inclined to vote for such a brave and honest individual.