Pima Community College Has Made Only One Other Bond Request In 25 Years-- And The Money Would Be Well Spent.
By Linda Neefe
IN CASE YOU hadn't heard, there's a community college district election scheduled May 16 that could add up to $2.80 a month to your property taxes for the next 20 years.
Unlike some local government money grubbing, however, this request is reasonable.
Pima Community College, along with all other Arizona community colleges, is a separate political subdivision of the state. Its borders conveniently align with county borders, so any Pima County resident who was registered to vote before April 17 may participate in this election.
The college's governing board wants to issue and sell bonds totaling $139,980,000. They'll use the cash to replace older buildings and ancient equipment, invest in new technologies to modernize study programs and create enough classroom space to accommodate the college's growing student population. Safety and accessibility improvements at each of PCC's existing campus locations will be financed, as well as the establishment of three new educational centers--in Green Valley, northwest Pima County and near the airport--should the voters approve the request.
The bonds will be repaid via an increase in our secondary property taxes. The average increase is estimated at 31 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, with a maximum of 42 cents per $100. That means if you own a $70,000 home, your tax will increase by about $1.96 a month or $23.52 a year. If you own a $100,000 home, you'll see an increase of about $2.80 monthly or $33.60 annually.
All of this is explained in the Pima County Community College District Voter Information Pamphlet mailed to nearly 300,000 voters late last week. But the pamphlet doesn't tell the whole story.
PCC's bond request is only the school's second in 25 years. The last time, they asked for, and got, $6 million to build the original West Campus. That complex is the only newly constructed facility in the entire PCC system, except for the Student Center building at the downtown campus. That first debt was paid off on schedule nearly a decade ago.
PCC enrollment stands at 53,400, making it the sixth-largest student enrollment of all multi-campus colleges across the country. In fact, it's larger than most universities. The college offers more than 2,300 courses in 214 different programs and has served more than 363,000 students in its 25 year history. Ranked as the 15th largest employer in Southern Arizona last year, the college has more than 3,300 workers and a payroll of $42 million.
Of course, PCC will continue to serve our community even if the bonds fail, but enlightened voters can give this valuable organization a big boost by voting yes on May 16.
 |
 |
© 1995-97 Tucson Weekly . Info Booth |
|