School District Property Taxes - Scottsdale, AZ



Special Election - Paradise Valley Unified School District

November 8, 2005 Ballot

This November, voters in the approximately 12 square mile area north of Pinnacle Peak Road, south of Jomax, and east of Pima to the city border will be asked to join the Paradise Valley School District. This area includes Desert Highlands. This election will be held despite the passage of a new law (effective August 12th) specifically designed to allow those voters a choice of school districts that the ballot proposition in November denies to them.

Presently this "unorganized" area of Scottsdale includes about 3,200 property owners who pay the Maricopa County Education Tax rather than taxes to any school district. (property owners in a school district pay taxes to the school district and do not pay the Maricopa County Education Tax). Although children from this area are allowed to attend schools in the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) to the south, the Cave Creek Unified School District (CCUSD) to the north, or the Paradise Valley School District (PVUSD) to the west, those children are not guaranteed spaces at the closest "neighborhood" schools and are subject to assignment anywhere throughout the district, including schools that may be dozens of miles from their homes.

The election scheduled for this November was placed on the ballot by the PVUSD just days after an important change in the law was adopted. That legislation was signed on May 20th but did not become effective until August 12th. The new law allows the voters of the "unorganized" area to choose which adjacent school district to join, but the proposition on this November's ballot does not — it is limited only to PVUSD and excludes SUSD and CCUSD as possible choices. Under the new statute, though, voters in an "unorganized" area are now required to join an adjacent school district or form their own district; they will no longer be allowed to remain "unorganized".

The real question is not whether there will be a tax increase in the future (that's a certainty) but how much that increase will be depending on which school district the homeowners in the "unorganized" area vote to join.

If this ballot measure is rejected on November 8 2005, then next year under Senate Bill 1199, property owners in the unorganized territory may have the additional options of joining two other school districts.

Property Tax Impact:

The following is a tax comparison of Maricopa County Education Tax paid now along with the adjoining school districts and the amount of school taxes that would be paid if in those districts. The comparison is based on three different property values, and includes the applicable state subsidy – maximum $500 for owner-occupied properties. This comparison does not include other taxes paid such as City tax.

| |Maricopa Co. Education |Paradise Valley |Scottsdale Unified SD |Cave Creek Unified SD |

| |Dist |Unified SD | | |

|2005/06 Tax Rates |$1.8090 |$6.2371 |$4.6820 |$3.3617 |

| | | | | |

|2005/06 Property Tax | | | | |

|Value - $500,000 |$589 |$2,619 |$1,841 |$1,347 |

|Value - $1,000,000 |1,310 |5,738 |4,182 |3,082 |

|Value - $1,500,000 |2,215 |8,857 |6,523 |4,873 |

|School Tax Increase | |300+% |200+% |100+% |

We believe voters should have choices when they go to the polls, which will not be the case this November because PVUSD rushed to place the measure on the ballot before the new law became effective. The Election pamphlet just published does not advise voters of the financial impact of this measure. If the PVUSD measure is defeated in November, then a choice among at least three school districts (and at least three corresponding tax rates) rather than only one may be available to residents of the "unorganized" area under the provisions of the new law in the future.

There is more information at the following websites:

azleg.state.az.us/ for Senate Bill 1199 (SB1199)

schools/ for maps and boundaries, unorganized territories

for information about Paradise Valley School District

Register online at ; contact for eligibility guidelines; request an early ballot at .

Our Legislators:

Contact information for each of our Scottsdale legislators is shown below, along with Linda Gray, Senator representing Glendale who introduced SB1199.

Carolyn Allen Senator, Republican, District 8

1700 W. Washington, Room 303

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Phone: 602-926-4480

Fax: 602-417-3155

E-Mail: callen@azleg.state.az.us

Michele Reagan, Representative, Republican, District 8

1700 W. Washington, Room 131

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Phone: 602-926-5828

Fax: 602-417-3008

E-Mail: mreagan@azleg.state.az.us

Colette Rosati, Representative, Republican, District 8

1700 W. Washington, Room 309

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Phone: 602-926-5169

Fax: 602-417-3108

E-Mail: crosati@azleg.state.az.us

Linda Gray, Senator, Republican, District 10

1700 W. Washington, Room 309

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Phone: 602-926-3376

Fax: 602-427-3253

E-Mail: lgray@azleg.state.az.us

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