CAC tax rate: Shope says hike caught him off guard - TriValley Central
“I was disappointed,” Shope said of the 45 percent tax increase that was approved in May by the college’s Governing Board but later modified to a 20 percent increase. During budget negotiations in March, Shope said he made the argument on the House floor that he didn’t believe Pinal County is in the same situation as Maricopa and Pima counties when it comes to the tax base. At the time, community college districts in Pima, Maricopa and Pinal counties were facing an elimination of all state funding. In the end, Pima and Maricopa community colleges saw all of their funding cut, while Shope and some colleagues were able to restore roughly $1 million to CAC. As a business owner, it’s a definite impact on my business,” said Shope, who along with his family owns Shope’s IGA in Coolidge. CAC has stated a number of reasons for the tax increase including the need for renovations at the Signal Peak Campus, which is expected to cost around $45 million, along with updating computer software that hasn’t changed in 25 years. But the college has pointed to two other major reasons for the increase: the reduction of state funding in the last 10 years from a high of $10 million in 2006 to $1 million this year, and pending legislation regarding the state’s 1 percent... Source: www.trivalleycentral.com
