By Doug McMurdo | Kingman Daily Miner
Talk about a tough sell.
Property taxes will be the solitary ballot question in May when Kingman voters will decide if the time has come to revive them after decades of living without the burden.
The need to stabilize a general fund budget that has shrunk by millions of dollars since the advent of the Great Recession five years ago was the chief concern raised by Mayor Janet Watson and Council members at an annual workshop held Wednesday to discuss projects and priorities.
The issue of reviving a property tax assessment that a previous Council eliminated roughly 30 years ago was first raised during budget workshops held in the spring.
Finance Director Coral Loyd and other department heads made it clear at the time that despite stark cuts in services and staffing, an across the board pay freeze that has lasted half a decade and other austerity measures, the city’s coffers could fall to a catastrophic level after fiscal year 2013-2014 ends June 30.
