Residents See Big Jump In Fire Tax Bill

Fire Board cut tax rate by 28 cents but tax bills rise anyway, some by more than 100% Part 3 of a 3-part series
By Meghan McCoy
The News
APACHE JUNCTION —
Many local residents are feeling the effects of paying more money for their Pinal County Real Property tax bills, especially with the Apache Junction Fire District (AJFD) this year, even though the AJFD tax rate decreased by 28 cents from 2007.
   Not only are homeowners experiencing a higher rate in the fire service taxes they owe, but business owners with commercial property are feeling the burden of paying more also. For example, a piece of commercial property in Apache Junction that is valued at $122,000 showed an increase in their AJFD tax rate from $279.58 last year to $560.18 this year, a hike of unmore than 100 percent.
   The AJFD determines the fire district’s tax rate by numbers the county assessors office provides for the net assessed valuation, which provides them with information on the value of each parcel in Pinal County 18 months prior. In other words, the assessed valuations tax payers are seeing on their bill is a reflection of what their property was valued at 18 months ago.
   Fire Marshal David Montgomery said this year there was an average of a 35-percent increase across the board, even though the tax rate was lowered 28 cents from last year. He explained that even though there was an increase of 35 percent, it does not mean the AJFD received a 35-percent increase in its baseline budget.

See A-1 and see Fire Taxes, page A-3

Sheriff Candidate Disputes Photo Speeding Ticket
Babeu claims he doesn’t know who was driving his car
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
FLORENCE- A car owned by Republican Sheriff candidate Paul Babeu was cited for speeding by photo radar on November 2, 2007, however, Babeu has not accepted responsibility and wrote on the ticket that the identity of the driver is “unkown” (sic), according to public documents obtained by The News.
   The car appears to be driven by a woman with two children in the backseat.
  The ticket was issued at 1:09 p.m. November 2, 2007, for driving 51 miles per hour in a 40 mile-per-hour zone in the 4100 block of East Hunt Highway West near Queen Creek. On the ticket, Babeu wrote the driver was “unkown” (sic) and dated it December 23, 2007. Based on the grainy photograph, he said, he could not identify the driver. He did, however, acknowledge it is his car.
   “The driver was unknown and I was not the driver of that vehicle,” said Babeu last week, a Chandler police officer who is on leave to run his campaign for Pinal County Sheriff.
   “In fact, once I announced I was running for sheriff, the sheriff and his deputies sent a two-page letter to my police chief in Chandler.”
   “There’s much more involved here. It’s clear I’m not the driver and they’re making such a significant effort. It’s all about politics.”

See A-1 and see Ticket, page A-3

AJ Schools Suffer Student Loss ’08
District may face another $1 million cut from budget
By Meghan McCoy
The News
APACHE JUNCTION — Superintendent Dr. Greg Wyman said the school district is experiencing a loss of approximately 250 students compared to this time last year. His announcement came during the Apache Junction Unified School District (AJUSD) monthly governing board meeting on Tuesday, September 9, 2008. The loss in student population will ultimately affect the budget for the 2009-2010 school year.
   Wyman said the loss of 250 students roughly translates to $1 million being cut for next year’s budget. This portion of the district’s budget is configured through an Average Daily Membership (ADM), which is calculated over the first 100 days of school.
   Although the current budget shows a loss of approximately 184 students (a financial loss of approximately $600,000), the final impact of the ADM and budget loss will not be determined until mid to late March, after the 100th day of school occurs in late January. The impact of the number of students the district lost during the first 100 days of school will not affect the budget until the 2009-2010 school year.
   The 250 students the district lost represents a 50-student loss at Apache Junction High School, 100-student loss at the middle schools and a 100-student loss at the elementary schools.

See A-1, and see Student Loss, A-3

Big Plays Doom ATHS Wolfpack
Kickoff return for TD, interception return for TD prove costly in 20-6 loss to Arizona Charter Academy
By Danielle Lowe and Chuck Baker
The News
The Wolfpack from Apache Trail High School came up with a tremendous effort in their game against the Arizona Charter Academy last Friday night in Glendale but two big plays by the Titans proved costly, leading ACA to a 20-6 victory, dropping Apache Trail’s record to 2-3 overall in their inaugural season of eight-man tackle football.
   The Wolfpack scored first last Friday when quarterback Brian Mayfield tossed a 60-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jon Bohn but the Titans bounced back with a touchdown and two point conversion to grab an 8-6 halftime lead.
   In the second half, the team’s played a pretty even but an 80-yard kickoff return for one score plus an 80-yard interception returned for a second score, carried the Titans to victory.
   Mayfield came up with another outstanding game for Apache Trail, completing 9-of-26 passes for 197 yards and rushing for 92 yards on seven carries.
   Bohn hauled in six receptions in the game totaling 108 yards, Frankie Gonzalez caught two passes for 52 yards and Chris Sheets caught a pass for 37 yards before having to leave the game with a head injury. Sheets was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution and he was alert and talking when taken off the field.

See C-1 and see ATHS, page C-2