Buckeye homeowners will get a chance to speak up about their property taxes at a public hearing June 2 — a hearing required whenever the city's property tax levy exceeds the prior year.
The hearing is required under Arizona Revised Statutes § 42-17107 when a city proposes to collect more in its primary property tax than it levied the year before, after excluding revenue from new construction. For Buckeye, the increase is about $357,000 — roughly a two percent increase over last year's levy.
Why taxes are going up even though the budget is shrinking
The city does not have to raise the tax rate for your tax bill to go up. Your property tax bill depends on two things: what your home is worth, and the tax rate the city sets. If your home's value goes up — and home values are rising fast in Buckeye — you pay more in taxes even if the rate stays exactly the same. The city collects more money without ever touching the dial.
That is what is happening in Buckeye. The city's overall budget is actually shrinking by $54 million, mostly because it is planning fewer big construction projects. But because property values keep climbing, the same tax rate brings in more revenue. Arizona law requires a public hearing and roll call vote any time a city's primary property tax levy exceeds the prior year's levy.
The hearing is during the regular City Council meeting at 6 p.m. at 530 E. Monroe Ave.
What the budget actually spends
The tentative budget totals $765.4 million, down from last year's tentative budget of $819.7 million. Chief Financial Officer Keith Fallstrom said the drop comes mostly from fewer new capital projects — $75 million in new construction this year, compared with $150 million last year.
The city is also carrying over $263.2 million from the current year — projects the city budgeted in previous years that still are not finished — road work, equipment purchases, and development agreements that were budgeted in prior years and will carry into 2027.
Mayor Eric Orsborn said the council spent months reviewing the numbers before the tentative vote. "We're talking a real quick presentation here on a $765 million budget, but there have been many meetings leading up to this," Orsborn said.
What happens next
After the hearing, the council gathers in a special meeting to adopt the final budget. The tentative budget sets a ceiling — the council can spend less than that amount but not more. The property tax levy — Resolution No. 28-26 — is also on the June 2 agenda.
The same evening, the council meets as the Buckeye Joint Community Facilities Districts to review finances for the special taxing districts that pay for roads, sewers, and water lines in new subdivisions.