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‘It’s their mess and<br>they need to fix it’

GC VILLAGE — The Grand Canyon School Board took a tough stance last week on Coconino County’s property tax error that created a shortfall of $419,752.

Grand Canyon School superintendent Ray Vernon cuts the cake while new board member Jon Streit looks on during a break at last week's meeting. (Photo by Brad Fuqua/GCN)

School board members were presented with two possible courses of action to take in response to the situation — recommend the county to re-bill property owners using the correct tax rate or recommend that the county make up the shortfall next fiscal year.

But the board did not opt for either of those recommendations.

"I think it’s their mess and they need to fix it," school board president Chuck Wahler said. "We need to go and tell them ... we need the amount of money we approved to operate the district on this year and that we don’t have a strong interest in how they choose to resolve it."

School superintendent Ray Vernon was directed by the board to write a letter to the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, assessor Christine Mazon and schools superintendent Cecilia Owen.

In the letter, Vernon said he was asked to express the board’s stance and to "correct the mistake and be as considerate of taxpayers as possible."

In response to the Grand Canyon School Board’s decision, Coconino County supervisor Paul Babbitt said "that’s fair enough. It was clearly a mistake. The Amfac assets were in effect put on the books twice and the assessor would agree. We recognize that and want to do what we can."

The error resulted in individual tax bills reflecting a lower amount of tax than is actually due, thus the budget shortfall. Babbitt said it would make sense for there to be a re-billing with the correct rate.

Mazon did not return a phone call to the News on the issue.

As a result of the error, along with clerical mistakes involving the Maine School District and the Summit Fire District, Babbitt said the county plans to make changes.

"Unfortunately, the error was made and it wasn’t caught," Babbitt said. "We believe we’ve put in place the mechanics along with the assessor to catch those kinds of clerical errors in the future."

The school board took the issue very seriously because an override election is planned for this spring.

"We’re very fortunate because we have very few taxpayers and a whole lot of people who get to vote," Wahler said. "Most people are unaffected and unaware of what’s going on. Those affected are painfully aware."

For those taxpayers who are affected by the mistake, there seems to be confusion among many of them over how the "correct" tax rate was determined.

When news of the property tax error was discovered, school board members immediately became concerned over the community blaming the school district for the mistake.

Mazon and Owen then visited the school on Nov. 8 to discuss options for correcting the error.


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