10-24-05 Regular Meeting of Fiscal Affairs Committee Minutes

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• • Voter turnout was heavy, Campbell-Husband said. "At one point, we ran out of ballots and had to run off some more," she said. The delay took time away from the counting, which didn't wrap up until 10:30 p.m. Tax freeze proponent R.D. Scott said he believed the measure would pass. When he learned of the margin of victory, he said he was overwhelmed. "That should send a message, shouldn't it?" he said. "All of us who lobbied for the tax freeze are proud of the outcome. I want to thank all the people who helped, especially the retired teachers." Scott said he knew a lot of residents were voting. Earlier in the day, he said, "We've been talking to people all day about getting out to vote. We did the same thing last week with early voting." With the tax freeze in place, seniors who are already 65 or will be by Dec. 31 will not lose their property tax exemption on the first $22,500 of property. They will keep both exemptions, provided they sign up for them through the Central Appraisal District. The property tax exemption continues for those already 65 and older until the property owner dies, in which case it passes to the surviving spouse. On that person's passing, the exemption no longer applies to the property. For those who won't reach age 65 by the end of 2005, the property tax exemption will not apply. Those who reach age 65 in coming years will receive the benefit of frozen taxes the second year, after the value is frozen the first year they qualify. At the time seniors qualify for the tax freeze, whatever the amount they pay will not vary as long as they own the property. If improvements are made to the property, seniors can expect their taxes to reflect the increased value of their properties, according to the CAD. The election dealt with an issue close to seniors' pocketbooks, but senior citizens are known to be the most prolific voters of any age bracket, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Senior Journal magazine. National elections often produce more than two-thirds of all seniors at the polls, the Journal reported, compared to 52 percent of voters in the middle-aged set. Seniors cite as their main motivation to cote on propositions a concern for the future of their grandchildren, even those issues related to aging, such as Social Security and Medicare. The Journal predicted that one in fine votes cast in most elections is proffered by a senior.