Yavapai College Property Tax Levy Information
Last Updated: 5 October, 2011
Changes in Tax Levy
Yavapai College did not pursue a tax levy increase for Fiscal Year 2011-2012.
If the Yavapai College portion of your property tax bill changed, this is likely due to a change in valuation of your home compared to the change in valuation of all the properties in Yavapai County. The increase could also be related to some legislative changes which are shifting some of the tax burden from vacant property, equine property, and commercial property to residential property.
If you are concerned about your property valuation, we encourage you to visit the website of the County Assessor at http://www.co.yavapai.az.us/Assessor.aspx. Here you will find a wealth of information about how taxes are calculated, how properties are valued, and how to appeal your property valuation.
In particular, we would encourage you to view two of the five short videos on their website: "Splitting the Check" and "Property Values in a Changing Market" http://www.co.yavapai.az.us/AsrVideo.aspx?id=58356
Facts on Local and State Support
- Arizona has the 12th lowest tax burden in the United States (TaxFoundation.org).
- The average Yavapai County homeowner provides $142 per $100,000 of home value to support Yavapai College. This is the fifth lowest rate from the College in the past decade.
- The inflation-adjusted AZ state appropriations per student to Yavapai College have been cut by three quarters over the past decade.
Yavapai College's Impact on our Community
The Value of the College in Prescott
Yavapai College is one of the cultural hubs of our community, in part due to its Performance Hall which attracts a broad cross-section of performers.
Money Magazine again named Prescott to the Top 25 Places to Retire in the U.S., in part due to the amenities offered by Yavapai College. This helps attract retirees to the region to visit and to live. You can read the full article from Money Magazine here.
Yavapai College provides affordable educational opportunities through the following:
- job training and retraining for the existing workforce
- job skills for vocational and technical students
- transfer courses which articulate to all Arizona public universities
- community education and lifelong learning opportunities for students of all ages
- coursework in over 60 subjects
- 41 certificate programs, 27 degree programs, and 35 transfer programs
- nearly 25% of coursework is taken online, serving people throughout Yavapai County.
Yavapai College Economics: Facts & Figures
Yavapai College creates a $131.2M economic impact on Yavapai County per an independent study conducted in August 2011. This creates a return on investment of 5.6% for every $1 of state appropriation and local property tax invested in Yavapai College.
Per Arizona statute, current Yavapai College expenditures per student are at or below the inflation-adjusted 1980 expenditures per student.
Yavapai College has reduced its inflation-adjusted operating costs per student by approximately 3% per year for the past 5 years.
As of 2009, Yavapai College expenditures per student were 15% below the national community college average, and 35% below the average expenditures per student at Arizona's four year schools.
Higher Education's Impact
Per the "Education Pays" report from the College Board organization, Higher Education leads to:
- Higher earnings, which leads to higher tax revenues
- Better health
- More community engagement (voting, volunteering, etc.)
- Lower unemployment rates
- Lower participation in public assistance programs (Medicaid, School Lunch, Food Stamps)
- Lower incarceration rates
For more information about the state of education in Arizona, consider viewing "Solutions Through Higher Education", an approximately three minute long video developed by Higher Education Solutions.