This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant

From the Desk of the Mayor

The winter visitors are starting to trickle back into our community. It is great to see them back again for another enjoyable winter. We missed you!

Many of us have received our annual property tax bill issued by Pinal County and I have received many questions about the Town’s share of the property tax bill and even questions about sales tax. The Town of Florence collects a small fraction of what we pay in property tax. When I looked at my property tax bill, I calculated that the Town of Florence collects less than 8% of my total bill. Also, the Town’s portion of the sales tax is just 2% of the total 9.7%. This is the lowest in Pinal County and among the lowest in Arizona. The remaining 7.7% of the sales tax we all pay in Florence is collected by the county and the state.

There has been a lot of discussion recently regarding the Florence Copper Project. The economic projections for the Town of Florence and the Florence community are unclear. We need to wait for further study. The environmental ramifications of the proposed project will be evaluated by the EPA in the upcoming months. The Town waits to see the outcome of that process. The protection of the aquifer is of prime concern.

There have been many questions from all of you on the McFarland State Park. The Town is working to finalize a lease agreement with Arizona State Parks. The building will be home to the Florence Visitor Center and the Florence Main Street Program. After the doors are opened, many exhibits will be introduced and made available to the public. It’s an exciting project and I can’t wait to see the doors open once again.

For those of you who want to learn more about the proposed ADOT freeway projects being planned for this area, including the North South Corridor Study, can contact Trent Kelso at ADOT at 602-522-7751 with questions. There is a public meeting on Tuesday, October 19th from 6pm to 8pm at the Union Center in Anthem, 3925 N. Sun City Blvd.

A recent chat with Gary Faulkner, CEO of Adamsville Hospital, was encouraging. You can reach him or his staff for details on insurance and other questions at 868-3000.

Don’t forget about Halloween. The Town of Florence is planning for this year’s activities that include the annual Halloween Carnival and the 2nd Annual Haunted Courthouse. More details to follow.

Take care and have a wonderful October!

Vicki Kilvinger

Mayor of Florence