El Mirage council adopts FY2025-26 property tax levy; rate falls amid valuation growth

The El Mirage Common Council voted to adopt the city's fiscal year 2025-26 property tax levy at its June meeting, approving an ordinance to set the primary and secondary levies.

City staff described the vote as the final step in the property-tax process. "This is the last step in the property tax process. It adopts the primary and secondary," the city's deputy city manager said.

The deputy city manager told the council the proposed primary levy amount is $3,276,000 and the secondary levy remains $1,930,000. He said the primary rate is decreasing and the secondary rate is also lower than the prior year: "Our primary rate is going down from ... $1.7104 to $1.6596 ... and our secondary property tax is going down from $1.752 to $0.9778 ... so a total drop in our property tax rate of about 15 cents overall," he said. Staff also said that, after accounting for valuation growth, the change will reduce the total amount charged to current property owners exclusive of new growth by about $302,199 and that the per-residence reduction was reported as roughly $299.

Council members asked for clarification on the effect of valuation growth. Vice Mayor Parsons confirmed that, because of valuation growth, keeping the prior rate would have increased taxes on current homeowners: "We're lowering the rate ... and if we were to keep it the same and not lower it, they would be paying more in property taxes." The deputy city manager answered, "Yes, because of valuation growth."

Vice Mayor Parsons moved to adopt the ordinance; Council member Norton McDaniel seconded the motion. The council approved the ordinance by voice vote.

The ordinance was presented as the final adoption after multiple prior hearings. Staff noted the primary levy had been set aside specifically for public safety and the secondary levy was restricted to voter-authorized debt.