April 2, 2005

April 2, 2005:

Well, it appears that we finally have a short-term property tax fix:

No more than a 3% increase on your property tax bill from last year for owner occupied homes
Landlords that provide affordable rents as defined by the U.S. Housing Office ($773 or less for a single bedroom, $907 or less for a two bedroom) will receive the same 3%
No more than an 8% increase on all other properties

While this is not a perfect solution, it provides immediate relief from the tremendous spike that most property owners would experience on their next bill. As many of you may remember, I campaigned on providing property tax relief that went further than the 6% that was originally proposed and stated I would fight for relief that would be tied to inflation. Government should not expect a windfall of 20-30% and grow the government monster that would need to be constantly fed, even in years when a windfall was not projected - meaning a reason to increase taxes. I submitted legislation that would do just that: keep assessed values at last year's rates and allow for an increase tied to the COLA. This year the COLA (CPI) is 2.7%. When all the proposals were reviewed, the 3% cap would provide significant relief compared to the 20% or greater scheduled property tax increases, while maintaining critical services such as fire, police, etc. The 3% cap is only 3/10ths of a percent more than my campaign pledge.

It is now time to turn our attention to the long-term solution, which will undoubtedly require a Constitutional amendment, so that property owners are never again faced with this problem.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or concerns.

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