Verde Valley will get back only 10 percent of excess primary taxes paid to the Community College in next 12 years

Clarkdale resident Bill Regner addressed the District Governing Board at its November 1, 2016 meeting in Sedona about the unfair allocation of resources flowing to the Verde Valley from the College.  He specifically recalled a conversation he had with West County Board Member Ray Sigafoos at the dedication of the Southwest Wine Center on the Verde Campus. During that conversation, Sigafoos said to Regner: “You are trying to take money away from our campuses.”  Mr. Regner responded: “No, we are just trying to keep more of our money here in the Verde Valley.” 

Mr. Bill Regner

Mr. Regner pointed out during his brief address that over the next dozen years the College intends to return to the Verde Valley only about $9 million dollars from an estimated $99 million of excess revenue that will come from Verde Valley property taxes during that period (“excess revenue” meaning revenue in excess of payment of total operating expenses for all Community College projects in the Verde Valley) .

Addressing Mr. Sigafoos directly, Mr. Regner asked:  “Who here is taking money from whom?”

Mr. Regner also added that the three-member Governing Board majority had “disrespected” Al Filardo in the treatment afforded him along with his supporters. Mr. Regner was referring to the three-member West County majority who voted in an almost secret meeting at the end of a retreat in September to suspend the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee.

The complete three minute address by Mr. Regner to the Governing Board can be viewed by clicking here.

Issues involving treatment of VVBAC the last straw

Al Filardo

Third District Representative to the College Governing Board, Al Filardo, resigned his seat on the Board yesterday afternoon (Tuesday, October 11, 2016).  Filardo represents a large portion of the Verde Valley.  Filardo indicated that the treatment afforded the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee by the three-member Prescott majority, which suspended the Committee for a year last month,  was a primary reason he could no longer sit on the Board. Filardo will provide an expanded view of his decision at the November 1, 2016 Board meeting in Sedona.

Filardo replaced Bob Oliphant in March, 2015.  Oliphant, who served a year on the Board,  had resigned in protest over the treatment of the Verde Valley by the three-member Prescott area controlling majority on the Board.

“I support the recent DGB’s action” dissolving the Advisory Committee

The Prescott Valley candidate Walt Nagy, whose goal is to knock off Deb McCasland in the upcoming election, has made it clear that he agrees with the three-member majority on the Governing Board that doing away with the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee was a good idea. McCasland has represented District 2 on the Governing Board effectively for the last two years since trouncing Harold Harrington.

In an interview with the Camp Verde Bugle of October 8, 2016 he flat out said he supported “the recent DBG’s action,” which effectively abolished the current Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee.  The Committee was the voice of the entire Verde Valley to the Governing Board.

As far as Nagy is concerned, matters in the Verde Valley are “beyond adequate.” He has no clue.

If he is elected, it is clear the Verde Valley will lose another strong voice that is attempting to stop the economic oppression being foisted on it by the three-member West-County voting block.

A vote for McCasland is a vote for the Verde Valley and fair and equitable treatment.  Nagy is most likely already in the pocket of the Prescott Valley politicos. There is little doubt he will continue to plunder the tax revenue coming from the Verde Valley to build projects on the West side of the County. There is little doubt he will also go along with continuing to raise the property tax rate on County voters as he seems ready to join the West County voting block and holds their views.

You may read his interview in the Bugle by clicking here.

Carol German letter typical of request for help

Verde Valley residents are contacting the Governor and State Legislators over the treatment being afforded them by the Yavapai College Administration and the West County majority on the District Governing Board. 

The letter that follows is typical of the letters being sent.  The Blog encourages it readers to contact the Governor’s Office and your Legislators to urge them to consider a separate Community College taxing district contiguous with the Verde Valley for a separate Community College.  The following is Ms. German’s letter.

Carol German

YAVAPAI COLLEGE DISENFRANCHISES THE VERDE VALLEY

Yavapai College has done it again.  With a 3 to 2 vote at a Board Retreat they abolished the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee.  This action was a direct slap in the face to the entire Verde Valley.  You had elected officials who worked very hard to select candidates for the YC Governing Board Advisory Committee.  It was also a slap in the face to a Governing Board member who worked diligently to construct an Advisory Committee structure that was acceptable to the Governing Board and well as the communities in the Verde Valley.  And, think of the time and effort that the County Superintendent of Schools spent in vetting the candidates that had been selected by each community’s elected officials.

The Committee itself worked very hard to determine the needs of the Verde Valley and to make recommendations to the YC Governing Board.  These recommendations were, for the most part, ignored.  It was as if the College felt threatened that millions of tax dollars paid by Verde Valley residents would be used in the Verde Valley instead of on the West side of  the County.  Right now our tax dollars will be used to build a 9 million dollar soccer complex in Prescott and also to build a multi-million dollar lecture hall in Prescott.  This is in addition to the millions that have been spent to build and remodel buildings in Prescott and Prescott Valley.  The College Governing Board should consider investing that money in Career and Technical Education Programs in the Verde Valley. 

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