GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Residents of the Continental School District (CSD) in Green Valley are set to receive credits on their next tax bills after property taxes unexpectedly surged due to a legislative misstep in 2022.
The law, intended to adjust how school districts with high schools are funded across Arizona, inadvertently led to a significant increase in taxes for districts like CSD, which only operates an elementary school.
In 2023, property owners in the district saw their school taxes spike by an average of 17%. Homeowners, especially seniors, felt the impact deeply.
“People were irate,” said Helen Russo, a representative of the County Club Vistas II Homeowners Association. “Most of us had like a 200-dollar increase.”
The tax increase hit Green Valley particularly hard due to its large population of retirees.
“We’re senior citizens, or as I say, experienced citizens,” said Debbie Kenyon, president of the Green Valley Council. “Monetary situations have a bigger impact here.”
However, the relief came after Pima County Treasurer Chris Ackerley discovered an issue with the way taxes were calculated under the new law. Ackerley assured residents that the overpayments were a result of the legislative error and promised to correct it on behalf of CSD residents.
Ackerley kept his promise, announcing that the overcharges would be deducted from homeowners' 2024 tax bills. He delivered a presentation at the Green Valley Council’s Board of Representatives meeting on Thursday, September 19 to address the tax issue and answer questions from the community.
“Mr. Ackerley assured us that it would be handled promptly and he would be on it until there was a resolution,” Kenyon said. “So we couldn’t be more pleased.”
While some community members had hoped for rebate checks, Ackerley explained that issuing individual refunds would have been more costly than simply adjusting future tax bills. He cited expenses such as new printers, postage and additional staff as reasons to avoid rebate checks.
In response to the outcry, the Arizona legislature also passed a law in April to prevent similar tax hikes in the future.
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Joel Foster is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9 who previously worked as an English teacher in both Boston and the Tucson area. Joel has experience working with web, print and video in the tech, finance, nonprofit and the public sectors. In his off-time, you might catch Joel taking part in Tucson's local comedy scene. Share your story ideas with Joel at joel.foster@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
