Beginning this October, tax bills for Mesa property owners will include a secondary property tax.

Property taxes in Maricopa County are steadily climbing. They’re expected to rise between 15 percent and 30 percent by 2008, according to Deron M. Webb, 40, a tax expert whose company, Wentworth Webb & Postal LLC represents companies and owners of large tracts of land in the Valley and Arizona who are trying to get their property taxes lowered.

Mesa will not ask residents to approve a primary property tax that was expected to finally bring long-term financial stability to the city.

Mesa will not ask residents to approve a primary property tax that was expected to finally bring long-term financial stability to the city.

Mesa voters should be asked to institute the city’s first property tax since 1945 and raise the sales tax to an all-time high, a citizen committee concluded.

Mesa voters should be asked to institute the city’s first property tax since 1945 and raise the sales tax to an all-time high, a citizen committee concluded.

May 12, 2005

Mesa residents are split on whether the city should impose a property tax, a Tribune poll has found. The poll of 401 likely voters found 41.8 percent support a property tax for basic city services, 40.9 percent are against it and 17.3 percent don’t know or refused to answer.

Mesa resident Vic Linoff renews the call for a city property tax elsewhere on these pages, arguing that world class status could elude the East Valley’s municipal behemoth unless the City Charter is changed.

An increase in commercial property and vacant land values may mean extra tax revenue for Scottsdale and East Valley municipalities and school districts, which are struggling to balance their budgets.

The Maricopa County Community Colleges Governing Board will consider raising property taxes within the limit permitted by the state May 21.

An initiative drive launched Friday could give Arizonans a chance to cut their property taxes. Dubbed Prop. 13 Arizona, the measure would roll back the assessed value of homes and businesses to what they were in 2003, before speculators helped spike prices.

Chandler officials are considering an increase in property tax rates over the next several years to help fund capital projects like road improvements and public safety facilities in a declining economy.

Arizona lawmakers are moving swiftly to permanently repeal a former statewide property tax that has been suspended since 2006, saving residents an estimated $250 million a year.

Gilbert resident Charles Haddad knew his home value had increased by 63 percent — but he didn’t expect his town property taxes to do the same.

Gilbert residents, whose home values have more than doubled in the past few years, can ask for a property tax rate decrease at a planned June meeting.

Maricopa County is planning to slash its property tax rate for residents. The Board of Supervisors says the cut, included in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, is aimed at keeping homeowner expenses manageable.

Mesa’s second attempt in two years to pass a property tax is not a question of if anymore, it’s a question of when.

Mesa voters were willing to give in to a higher sales tax, but unwilling to commit to a property tax despite pleas from city leaders that it was critical to the future operations of the city.

Mesa voters were willing to give in to a higher sales tax, but unwilling to commit to a property tax despite pleas from city leaders that it was critical to the future operations of the city.

Oh, what a miniscule tempest inside which Scottsdale officials are seeing themselves whirling. Last week the City Council talked about a 2006-07 property tax rate that would cost the owner of a $500,000 home $28, maybe $30 more next year, an amount that usually finds most owners of $500,000 homes rarely concerned, much less exercised.

Developers, unions, banks and other influential business interests are heaping money into a campaign to convince Mesa voters to approve the first city property tax in more than 60 years.