West County Representatives’ rubber stamp College President Penelope Wills demand to increase property taxes at Special Taxation session on Tuesday
For almost 50 years, the Verde Valley has stood in the shadow of the Prescott Community College Governing Board’s political power. This has allowed the Board, under a little known Arizona statute, to funnel money into projects and programs on the West side of Yavapai County while sending back to the East side of the County just enough financial crumbs to keep residents and a few weak-spined local politicians like the mayors of Clarkdale and Cottonwood from raising serious questions about how it is being spent.
During the past five decades, the success of the Prescott fundraising scheme has been phenomenal. Sedona and Verde Valley taxes have been used to build two campuses, dormitories, athletic fields, a professional tennis court, a basketball arena, indoor swimming complex, and a huge dinner theatre seating over 1,000. All on the West side of the County!
These projects, and many more, have depended on draining (some now say “stealing”) from 30 to 40 percent of every property tax dollar coming from Sedona and the Verde Valley and keeping it in Prescott. It has also depended on consistently raising property taxes and student tuition on a regular basis (6 of the last 10 years property taxes have been raised) (tuition raised in some form every year over last decade).
The outcome on Tuesday was no different. There are five persons on the Governing Board but only two represent Sedona and the Verde Valley. Those two Representatives made solid, rational arguments in opposition to the 2% property tax increase but lost 3-2. A formal Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee had also asked the Board not to impose a tax increase. It was ignored by the West side trio.
Prior to Tuesday’s taxation meeting, the Blog believed that Chair Pat McCarver and former Chair Ray Sigafoos were in the back pocket of College President Penelope Wills—their history is to rubber stamp anything Penelope or any administration dreamed up. The only question was how new Prescott Valley Board member Steve Irwin would vote. However, he did not disappoint Wills. It was his vote that gave Prescott the needed majority to keep more money flowing into the Administration’s pockets.
If you go back over the last ten years, you will discover that the Prescott majority on the Governing Board has rubber stamped every tax increase and every tuition increase asked for by the administrators. Why not? They have used it to build a superb college over there—not a community college. Meanwhile, they have left the East side of the County to wither on the vine.
Will it ever change?