TALENT, Ore. — The Phoenix-Talent School District is waiving the Construction Excise Tax for people who are trying to rebuild after the Almeda fire. The tax, which has been around since 2013, charges people who are building new construction in the town. That money then goes to the district for different funding projects.
In the last 8 years, the tax has raised $1.8 million for the school district.
Superintendent Brent Barry says they’re trying to do everything they can to lessen the financial burden on families who are trying to rebuild.
“For the families that are rebuilding or want to rebuild and hopefully they do, we want to remove a barrier that could be in place of a few thousand dollars to replace a home that burned in the fire,” Superintendent Barry said.
The removal of the tax is only for people who can prove they lost property in the Almeda Fire, in addition, are building the exact same square footage as the previous property.
The tax will be imposed on any reconstruction that is greater than the previous square footage or has add ons that the original property did not have.
The change will be in effect until June 30, 2023.
Blakely McHugh is co-anchor of NBC5 News at Sunrise and spokesperson for In This Together, a suicide prevention initiative. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Blakely is a native of San Diego, CA.
Blakely is excited to be in southern Oregon, a place that gets all the seasons and has similar temperatures to Arizona in the summer! When she’s not at work, you can find her relaxing at home watching TV and cuddling with her cat, Dallas. She also enjoys trying new places to eat and exploring the outdoors.
Blakely loves meeting new people so if you see her out and about, say “hi!”
