PINAL COUNTY PRESS A R IZONA CIT Y • C A SA GR A NDE • CO OLIDGE • ELOY • F LOR ENCE • M A R ICOPA
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Pinal County Improves Flood Insurance Rating
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he Pinal Count y Flood Control District recently announced county property owners who have flood insurance should see a 5% decrease in their premiums due to the district earning a class 6 rating with the National Flood Insurance Program’s community rating system. Pinal County must submit a report to the NFIP every five years about how its floodplain management program exceeds its minimum standards for protecting residents from major flood events, after which it receives a rating. Those living in the Special Flood Hazard Area shown on the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s maps are expected to see a 20% overall discount in their premiums, and those in other areas will have a total discount of 10%. The changes take effect May 1 and will apply to all new and renewed policies, according to the County. Submitting the required reports are always a complex task,
PROPERTY TAX..cont. from page 10 said. He added last year’s combined rate was $597.16. Public hearings will then be held during May and June, with final budget adoption by the council required by Aug. 7 under state law. Primary property tax mostly funds daily government operations and secondary taxes pay off bond debt, which Horst said has been renegotiated to a more favorable rate this year. Another recent development that Horst said is helping the City
a County press release said, but flood district staff dove into the task last year and were able to improve the rating as a result. Communities must be a participating member of the NFIP for residents to be eligible to purchase flood insurance, which is a requirement for federally backed mortgages. County officials recommend homeowners who live in or near
a floodplain and aren’t required to buy the insurance still buy a “preferred protection” plan for any flood damage they might experience, which probably won’t be covered by their homeowners insurance policy. Policies with contents coverage are also available, for renters as well as property owners. Residents can go to the County’s flood district website at www.
pinalcountyaz.gov/PublicWorks/ FloodControl/Pages/Home.aspx for more information and can click on the “Am I In A Floodplain?” page. Requests for information can also be submitted at www.pinalcountyaz.gov/PublicWorks/FloodControl/Pages/ FloodInfoRequest.aspx. For more information call 520-866-6411.
now is the creation of a $1 million “disaster contingency reserve” for the current year’s budget. “So we actually put monies away anticipating we might have a disaster sometime in the future, and lo and behold, guess what, we do, but because we put money aside for that we’re better prepared,” he said. Horst said Maricopa has other contingency funds equaling about 60% of the general fund budget, so officials aren’t expecting to furlough or lay off employees or reduce any services to the public.
Population growth is expected to continue pulling new property tax revenue into the city, he added: “Obviously we’ll have some new dollars because we have more new homes and more assessed value because we’ve built almost 1,000 new homes in the last year alone, plus the commercial and retail properties.” He said additional demand on social service-related programs in the area hasn’t become too much of a concern, with nonprofits and faith-based organizations able to help many who are struggling in the current economy.
“There might be some isolated cases out there we’re not aware of, but for the most part our citizens are doing well, and those needs are being met because of the generosity of neighbors. And that’s part of what makes Maricopa unique, is that we are a pretty diverse community, but very unified in a lot of ways,” he said. Horst said the City’s rapid population growth doesn’t show any sign of stopping, with more than 100 new housing permits issued during April. “Our future is bright,” he said.
EARLY SUMMER 2020 • THE PINAL COUNTY EDITION
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