ARIZONA
Arizona Limits Construction Around Phoenix as Its Water Supply Dwindles
New York Times
Arizona has determined that there is not enough groundwater for all of the housing construction that has already been approved in the Phoenix area, and will stop developers from building some new subdivisions, a sign of looming trouble in the West and other places where overuse, drought and climate change are straining water supplies.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
150-Year-Old Downtown D.C. Church Looks To Build Multifamily Next Door
BisNow
The Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes at 1215 Massachusetts Ave. NW has enlisted DAKS Development for the project and Mellon Historic Preservation Consultants as an adviser, according to documents filed with the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board this week.
MAINE
State high court sides with Vinalhaven in tax dispute
knox.villagesoup.com
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that a foundation that leases much of Hurricane Island is not exempt from the state's property tax. The May 30 decision ends a four-year legal battle between the Hurricane Island Foundation and the town of Vinalhaven.
MICHIGAN
97% of Detroit homeowners could see property tax cut under new plan
Click On Detroit
In an effort to restructure the city's property tax system, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced Wednesday a new plan that would decrease taxes for homeowners and increase taxes for vacant property owners. The city is looking to shift the current Detroit property tax system that requires homeowners and small business owners to pay higher property taxes than owners of blighted and vacant properties that don't have any plans for development.
PENNSYLVANIA
With $220M off the tax roll, Scranton officials move to verify tax-exempt status of nonprofit- and government-owned properties
Yahoo News
With almost 6% of Scranton's 27,000-plus parcels off the tax rolls, city officials want to hire a firm to verify the tax-exempt status of nonprofit- and government-owned properties. The roughly 1,622 tax-exempt parcels account for nearly 37%, or about $220 million, of Scranton's $598 million total assessed property value.
RHODE ISLAND
Senate approves Murray's tangible tax exemption bill
NRI NOW
The state Senate has approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Melissa Murray, a Democrat representing District 24 in Woonsocket and North Smithfield, to exempt the first $50,000 of tangible property from the tangible personal property tax aimed at helping businesses statewide.
TEXAS
Texas property tax-cut debate boils down to homeowners vs. businesses
The Texas Tribune
A months long standoff between Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan over how to dole out $12.3 billion in new tax cuts has dramatically intensified within the last week — with tensions reaching higher levels as Gov. Greg Abbott, who had been silent for months on how state lawmakers should cut property taxes, entered the fray and sided with Phelan.
Appraisal district proposes 2024 budget bump
The Austin Bulldog
The proposed budget was presented to the district's Board of Directors in a May 24th workshop by Chief Appraiser Marya Crigler and Deputy Chief Appraiser Leana Mann. TCAD budgeted to add three new positions in 2024. That will bring the total strength to 156 positions. Of that number, 97 are involved in appraisals, 40 are in information systems, and 19 are in administration and general operations.
WASHINGTON
King County assessed property values decline as housing market cools
The Seattle Times
For the first time since the Great Recession 15 years ago, King County homeowners will see lower property values on assessor notices this summer — another sign of the dramatic slowdown that has hit the local housing market over the past year. King County Assessor John Wilson said Thursday that while his office is still finalizing property valuations across much of the county, it's already clear that values are on the decline in many areas.