By Ben Giles | Arizona Capitol Times
Denied a hearing by the Arizona Supreme Court, Pima County will soon take its legal challenge over a budget provision regarding the 1 percent property tax cap to Maricopa County.
Pima County attorneys are preparing to file a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court charging that Gov. Doug Ducey and legislators illegally shifted state costs onto county taxpayers by capping how much education-related funds it distributes to counties.
The Arizona Constitution requires that no residential property owner pay more than 1 percent of the assessed property value in property taxes. Since the provision was added to the Constitution in 1980, the state has provided additional aid for school districts negatively affected by the property tax cap.