Editor slams West County Voting-Bloc for “happily” rubber-stamping proposal to increase Taxes
Christoper Fox Graham
In an editorial of Wednesday, May 16, 2018, the managing editor of the Cottonwood Journal Extra, Christopher Fox Graham, slammed the three members of the Yavapai Community College Governing Board who approved the tax rate increase at the Board’s May meeting. The rate increase will generate an estimated $896,100 annually. Those members voting for the proposal were Steve Irwin, Pat McCarver, and Chairman Ray Sigafoos. East County representatives Deb McCasland and Connie Harris voted against the increase. McCasland provided several reasons for her opposition to the rate increase. Harris did not explain why she opposed the rate increase.
Graham argued that merely reopening the Sedona Center with two programs hardly justified the increase. He pointed out that the residents on the East side of the County have been battling for years for a return of the tax revenue they give the College that is retained for building projects on the West side.
Graham also asked: “Why would the College need to bilk taxpayers yet again for this paltry amount ($896,100) when it just got $4.4 million from the town of Prescott Valley for the sale of some college-owned property?”
“Fortunately, Wills announced she will be retiring at the end of the calendar year,” wrote Mr. Graham. Adding insult to injury, the Board voted 4-1 (McCasland dissenting) to give Wills a $3,000 bonus. Graham commented that “if you’re wondering where increased taxes are going, they’ll be heading to Wills ‘personal bank account.
You may read Mr. Graham’s editorial when it is posted on line at the following site (click here).