Printable VersionKINGMAN — Two individuals were asked to leave the Board of Supervisors’ general meeting in Kingman Monday after the dress code was left intact following a dead-end request to strip it from the Mohave County Rules of Order.
Supervisor Gary Watson, R-Dist. 1, had placed the item on the meeting agenda for discussion.
“(The dress code) was supposed to be different than it turned out to be. It has originated a source of contempt and irritation to a number of folks,” said Gary Wats during the meeting.
After a motion to discuss the issue failed to garner the other supervisors’ support, the issue was bypassed, leaving the dress code intact.
“These rules will be enforced. Please abide by them,” Johnson said before proceeding with the meeting.
It was then Susan Bayer approached the podium to address the supervisors on the next order of business, the public hearing for the property tax rate increase. She was wearing a blue baseball cap. Before she had a chance to speak, she was asked to remove her hat.
“I didn’t have to take it off the last time I was here,” Bayer said.
Meeting Chairman Buster Johnson immediately called a five minute recess “so security can deal with this” dress code violation.
Bayer protested that her right to make her statement before the supervisors’ voted to raise her property taxes was being violated.
“You gave up that statement for violating the rules,” Johnson said.
At the meeting Monday, about five individuals wore hats.
At the last meeting the same group wore their hats, video-recorded themselves and posted the video footage on YouTube to show how the county doesn’t enforce its own rules, said Johnson.
“Well, now (the rules) have been enforced,” said Johnson in an interview after the meeting.
Despite the hat fiasco, supervisors adopted the budget for the fiscal year 2010-2011 in the amount of $267,700,074 with projected expenditures of $81,946,277.
They also adopted the property tax increase of $1.4637 from $1.2637, as suggested by the Property Tax Oversight Commission.
Prop 100, the voter-approved state law centered on property tax levies, allows the county to increase revenues by 2 percent, plus new construction each year. The law allows counties to set property tax rates accordingly in order to achieve that.
John Timko, Deputy County Manager Financial Services, said during the meeting the general fund revenues from collecting property taxes will decrease by 5.4 percent compared to last fiscal year because the secondary property tax rates including the Television District (.0867), Fire District Assistance Tax (.1000), Library District (.3236) and Flood Control District (.5000) have remained unchanged from last year.
You may contact the reporter at jhanson@havasunews.com.
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