HOLBROOK — The Navajo County Community College District Governing Board will conduct a Truth in Taxation and Public Budget Hearing for consideration of the proposed budget for the 2022–2023 fiscal year at the Tiponi Community Center, 2251 E. Navajo Blvd., Holbrook, Arizona, 86025, on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. (M.S.T.). The hearing may also be attended remotely using the link: https://npc.webex.com/npc/j.php?MTID=mada0e43b7e0c3b2c2b1ed9a2aa033a41 (password May22DGB – if needed), for both public viewing and comment. Additional access to the hearing is available by phone: dial-in +1-415-655-0001, meeting number (access code): 2624 232 6647.

At its April 19 meeting, the board adopted a preliminary 2022-2023 budget.  The college is proposing a budget that will focus on stabilizing its resources amid the ongoing economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, recent legislative changes, and the planned closure of the Cholla Power Plant.

The college stands ready to help students, taxpayers, and employees. The proposed budget includes the following key items.

• Students in Navajo County will continue to receive a lower “In District” rate of $68 per credit hour.
• Taxpayers will see the same tax rate as the prior budget year at $1.7505 per $100 of net assessed valuation. This will require a TNT public hearing.
• Employees will receive a salary increase to cover increases in the cost of living and to align with an increasing minimum wage.

Under the state’s Truth in Taxation (TNT) statutes, the college district is requesting an increase in primary property taxes of $760,750 or 4.8 percent.  According to the TNT formula, the primary property tax for an owner-occupied residence with an assessed valuation of $100,000 would increase from $167.08 to $175.05.  NPC does not have a secondary tax rate to pay for any improvement bonds or budget overrides.

The assessed valuation of utilities, power plants, transmission lines, and mines is set by the state’s Department of Revenue.  The Navajo County Assessor’s Office is responsible for setting the assessed valuations for local real property and buildings.  These combined assessed valuations are used by various taxing jurisdictions as the basis for calculating the primary property tax levy.

After the public hearing, the governing board can decrease or accept the budget from the preliminary figures adopted on April 19. The budget data can be viewed or downloaded as a PDF from the college’s website: https://www.npc.edu/fy2023-preliminary-budget. Answers to many frequently asked questions are also posted.

Interested citizens are encouraged to attend the Truth in Taxation and Public Budget Hearing and make comments prior to the formal adoption of the budget by the local governing board during a special meeting immediately following the public hearing.

Comments about the proposed primary tax rate or budget can also be submitted online at www.npc.edu/public-comment-form.