El Mirage Council Proposing to Jack Up Tax Rates, Water, Sewer, and Garbage Rates Again; Protest Planned at City Easter Event

El Mirage Mayor Lana Mook

As children get their photos taken with the Easter Bunny, color eggs, pet ponies, and romp around in a bouncy house, El Mirage residents upset about yet another proposed rate increase for their water, sewer, garbage, and property taxes plan to march in protest.

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Linda Kleiner, an El Mirage resident, posted a comment about the pending protest on the City of El Mirage's Facebook page, right under the Easter event announcement.

City officials apparently yanked it from their page, but we managed to grab a screen shot before it went down. (Posted on the right)

www.facebook.com/ElMirageAZ

"The mayor and city manager want to do another rate increase in our water. They also voted to explore another increase in our taxes. They plan to have a public hearing on these increases on May 7," Kleiner wrote.

Kleiner explained in her post that protesters "do not intend to ruin the Easter Egg Hunt" but needed to choose an event where many residents were gathered to inform them about the proposed rate hikes.

El Mirage Mayor Lana Mook, responding to a request for comment about the proposed increases, tells New Times that "whatever you may have been told is premature."

"The public notice is not a rate increase," she writes in her e-mail.

Right, it's a notice about a proposed increase.

Mook continues: "Our council needs to support staff as they work to keep the rates low. It is the city's goal and hope there will be no increase in water fees this year, and I am hopeful this will be the case."

No doubt residents -- who have seen rate increase year after year since at least 2004 -- also are hopeful that they won't have to keep shelling out more money for essential city services.

Not that residents would necessarily know about the potential increases the city council is considering since there are only vague references to them on the city council agenda and on the city's website.