By Melissa St. Aude | Casa Grande Dispatch
The city of Casa Grande’s proposed budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year calls for a slight increase in property taxes and increases for some municipal services.
With the July 1 start of the new fiscal year, the Casa Grande City Council this week began the process of reviewing the proposed city budget.
Under the proposed budget, Casa Grande property owners would see their primary property tax rate inch up from $0.9489 to $0.9999 per $100 of net assessed valuation. No change is proposed in the secondary property tax rate.
But because home values decreased by about 8 percent, the actual tax due should decrease slightly from previous years, according to a city report. Valuations generally lag behind housing market trends.
The proposed budget also calls for increases in several fees assessed by the city, and some decreases.
City Finance Director Diane Archer told the council that fees are changed for various reasons, usually to reflect market changes or agreements.
The cost of a home occupation permit or a zoning verification letter would rise $10 while the cost of a medical marijuana zoning verification letter would decrease by $100 — from $205 to $105.
The cost of a zoning compliance letter would drop from $305 to $200.
The price tag for a preliminary development plan initial and major amendment would fall from $2,455 to $1,600.
Residents installing a solar panel sys- tem could also notice some changes. The
price of a solar permit would change from a fee table calculation to a flat $300 for a residential and $600 for a commercial permit.
