An interesting thing happened at a council meeting about 1-1/2 to 2 months ago. While addressing the council, I was asked by Justin Adrian about my residential address. He wanted to confirm that it was an apartment. The answer was yes.
After the meeting, outside of city hall I asked him why he was interested in the fact that I lived in an apartment. Here it comes......shades of another arrogant former council member..........he replied (in a very haughty arrogant manner) that whenever I talk about mill levies, property taxes etc. that they didn't affect me because as an apartment renter I did not pay property taxes. Fortunately, another council member (Eric Jenkins) was outside and he helped me to educate Adrian. Apartment renters most definitely do pay property taxes. We just don't get a separate receipt, nor can we deduct them from our tax filings. No owner of an apartment complex is going to let tenants skate on property taxes. Rent is adjusted to include them. Whenever a lease comes up for renewal, or a new tenant takes over, the rent includes ownership expenses, which includes property taxes.
For the heck of it, when I got home I actually researched it specifically for the complex I live in. The most recent tax bill for this complex is over $300,000. Is the ownership going to "gift" that to the tenants? Not quite. Since a renter only has exclusive use of their apartment, the sq. ft. charge could exceed that of some home owners, since they have exclusive use of their homes, front yards, backyards, etc.
Anyway, I laid it out in an email, sent it to him and he did apologize. Whether the apology was genuine, who knows.
Here's the part that gets me. He is (or was) a social studies teacher. Can't remember if he has an advanced degree (masters?) He ran and won an election for city council. And yet, he didn't even understand the basics of property taxes.
