property tax
An editorial in today’s Sacramento Bee indicates that it is California’s irresponsible lawmakers that are to blame for the state’s budget woes. Critics are often quick to blame Proposition 13, the historic property tax limitation, for budget problems. As Dan Walters points out, property tax revenues have risen 800 percent since the passage of Prop 13.
A state Senator has launched a petition drive to restore a program that sends tax rebate checks to homeowners to offset property tax increases. The drive to re-establish the STAR program will use online signature collecting and social media networking on sites such as Facebook.
Agusta County residents are petition the Board of Supervisors to relieve new tax assesments, some of which have gone up as much as 400 percent. Petition organizers say that if county supervisors ignore their petition they will take the matter to court.
Churchville attorney Francis Chester said Thursday the response to his petition drive to roll back Augusta County’s property values to 2005 and set aside the current reassessment has been strong. “You would not believe the phone calls and people coming into the office,’’ Chester said. One person asked for 15 petitions to circulate to county property owners, he said. Chester plans to present the petitions to the Augusta County Board of Supervisors at the board’s March 11 meeting.