CANADA
'Substantial' property tax increase coming to Toronto, city's budget chief warns

CBC News

Toronto's budget chief is warning that a "substantial" property tax increase will be part of the city's new spending package, as council grapples with a long-brewing fiscal crisis. Coun. Shelley Carroll, who was appointed budget chief by Mayor Olivia Chow last year, had a blunt message when asked if property taxes are headed up: Yes. And not by a small amount, she said, because Toronto needs to face its structural deficit head-on.

CALIFORNIA
49ers Win Property Tax Case, $180 Million Loss to Santa Clara County, City, and School District

Santa Clara News Online

Last November, the 49ers won a major property assessment tax case that will cut their taxes by $180 million. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, here's the breakdown of what will be lost to local government and schools: “The Santa Clara Unified School District will continue to lose $2.4 million in revenue per year ($72 million in all) as a result of the ruling. Santa Clara County government will take a $32 million hit over the life of the lease. 

FLORIDA
Fraud against tax exemption in housing increases in Miami-Dade

California18

This relief varies by state or county. In Miami-Dade, the owner receives an indefinite discount of $50,000 on the taxable value of his home, with the condition that he resides in it, since he cannot have more than one property under that program. However, the number of cases of fraud regarding this benefit has been increasing around $180 million in penalties have been imposed.

IOWA
Vacant commercial space in East Village tower to become apartments

Des Moines Register

The Lyon Apartments will soon be more residential, converting its vacant commercial space on the first floor into seven apartments by April. The long-term future of its sole current commercial tenant, the Pura Social Club restaurant and bar, is unclear. The high rise, 660 E. Fifth St., was once a sparsely populated senior housing complex called Heather Manor before it was turned into a mixed-use apartment building with 103 apartments and 5,000 square feet of commercial space in 2015.

MASSACHUSETTS
Plan for new Quincy medical building asks for no taxes for 40 years

The Patriot Ledger

A request to pay no taxes for 40 years is included in plans a newdowntown medical facility filed with the city's planning department. Commercial real estate and development firm FoxRock Properties describe a four-story medical building, a 500-space parking garage and two retail buildings to be constructed on the site of the former Ross Garage, which was demolished in the summer of 2016.

PENNSYLVANIA
Chambersburg Council could push Franklin Co. to finally update over 60 year old property tax rolls

Tri-State Alert

Is it a big, flashy legislation that is sure to polarize voters and property holders across Franklin County? No, but reassessing THE oldest real estate tax valuations in the entire state of Pennsylvania remains at the top of Chambersburg Borough Council's agenda for a new year, and for good reason. Last December, Chambersburg Borough Council approved FY24's newest budget with some increases in fees but no tax increases. 

TEXAS
Downtown Killeen reverses downtown fortunes with more than 70% occupancy rate

kdhnews.com

Revitalizing downtown Killeen has been a top priority for the city. Mayor Debbie Nash-King has touted its importance at town hall meetings and boasted that the city was close to 80% occupancy of buildings. “This has happened within 12 months and $9 million of private investment of the business owners and 37 new businesses are operating in the area,” Nash-King said at an Oct. 19 town hall. “There are a lot of great things going downtown. Just walk around.”