STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – House Speaker J.D. Mesnard (R-17) today appointed Representatives Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-23), Vince Leach (R-11), Jay Lawrence (R-23), Mark Cardenas (D-19), and Reginald Bolding (D-27) to the Joint Legislative Income Tax Credit Review Committee.
“With the appointment of these members to the Joint Legislative Income Tax Credit Review Committee, I look forward to the committee’s recommendations,” said Speaker Mesnard.
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Representative Vince Leach (R-11) recently was named Legislator of the Year by the Arizona Restaurant Association for his dedication to the restaurant industry.
“The Arizona Restaurant Association recognizes Representative Vince Leach for his years of service and dedication to Arizona,” said Skip Chase, Chairman of the Arizona Restaurant Association. “The restaurant industry is appreciative for his many years of great leadership on difficult and complicated issues. Thank you, Representative Leach, for your contributions to make all Arizona’s communities and businesses prosper.”
“Not only do Arizona’s restaurants create thousands of jobs and contribute to the strength of our economy, but they also make the best food in the country,” said Representative Leach. “I couldn’t be happier to be recognized as Legislator of the Year by the Arizona Restaurant Association.”
The Arizona Restaurant Association has been serving Arizona’s restaurants since 1939 and continues to help its members become leaders in their communities by building customer loyalty, escalating awareness of food safety and healthy living, bolstering a thriving industry and rewarding workforce, and increasing financial success.
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Representative Vince Leach (R-11) sent a letter last week to Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell and Tempe City Council members warning them that the city’s actions on various Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) projects are in violation of state law.
GPLETs are levied in lieu of property taxes when governments lease publicly-owned property to private businesses. When local governments give property tax incentives like GPLETs to developers, it deprives school districts and other local governments of tax revenue. State taxpayers are forced to make up the difference through elevated payments to those school districts.
Representative Leach informed the city officials that the property tax incentives offered for the Graduate Hotel and the Bank of the West/FountainHead projects violate state law, and that remedial action is recommended to avoid a SB 1487 investigation by the Arizona Attorney General.
“GPLET projects like this shortchange our school districts while subverting the marketplace – they’re a bad deal for everyone except the city and developers,” said Representative Leach. “While the City of Tempe’s attempts to circumvent state law appear to be quite deliberate, I believe it’s important to give them an opportunity to remedy these actions before initiating an investigation by the Attorney General’s office. I hope they address these issues before further action is required.”
Below is the text of Representative Leach’s letter.
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November 30, 2017
Mayor Mark Mitchell and the Tempe City Council:
I have been made aware that recent city council action is in conflict with Arizona state law in at least three specific areas. First, the property tax incentives offered for the Graduate Hotel and the Bank of the West/FountainHead are disallowed by Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.). Second, the attempts to use such Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) rates were not vetted by the Arizona Department of Revenue (DOR) as required by state law. Finally, there is no legal basis for beginning a new GPLET lease for the Graduate Hotel in year 47of the statutorily-allowed 50 years. The following will explain in greater detail why I believe the City is in violation of state law and a recommended recourse.
No Specified Conditions
According to City Ordinance 2017.39 and 2017.48, the City of Tempe has agreed to enter into a lease with the Graduate Tempe Owner, LLC and the KBSII FountainHead, LLC using GPLET rates established in A.R.S. § 42-6203(A) – rates that were eliminated for use beginning June 1, 2010 unless a city had a “grandfathered” project. A.R.S. § 42-6203(A) states:
“Except as otherwise provided in this section, if a lease of a government property improvement was entered into before June 1, 2010, or if a development agreement, ordinance or resolution was approved by the governing body of the government lessor before June 1, 2010 that authorized a lease on the occurrence of specified conditions and the lease was entered into within ten years after the date the development agreement was entered into or the ordinance or resolution was approved by the governing body and the lease was determined by the department of revenue to be in compliance with this subsection:”
Lease agreements subject to City Ordinances 2017.39 and 2017.48 do not qualify for “grandfathered” A.R.S. § 42-6203(A) rates because there was not a development agreement, ordinance, or resolution approved before June 1, 2010 authorizing a lease on “specified conditions.” The “grandfathering” ordinance referenced in both projects, City Ordinance 2010.76, is nothing more than a generic reference to using GPLET and has no “specified conditions” related to either project. Such an interpretation of a grandfathering provision renders the statute meaningless as any project within the city could qualify. The use of City Ordinance 2010.76 is patently against the law. Further, the City knows well the legislative intent of the grandfathering clause was to only allow specific projects already approved by a governing body to continue as originally designed.
Failure to Consult DOR
In 2017, the Arizona State Legislature passed HB2213, which among other changes added a provision to A.R.S. § 42-6203(A) that requires DOR to determine compliance with the section in order to access the “grandfathered” rates. For this law to have any meaning, this review must occur before the lease rates are accessed. This law became effective August 9, 2017, well before both lease agreements were signed. To my knowledge no review occurred, which means both lease agreements are also in conflict with this provision of state law.
No Legal Basis to Begin a 50 Year Lease Agreement in Year 47
Finally, City Ordinance 2017.39 and subsequent lease agreement(s) are in violation of state law because they purport to begin a new GPLET lease agreement in year 47, allowing for a significantly reduced rate of tax remittance.
The rates of tax for “grandfathered” GPLET rates are outlined in A.R.S. § 42-6203(A)(2). These rates decline every ten years from the beginning of the GPLET lease until year 50 when the rate becomes zero. The statute does not allow a new GPLET agreement to “back-date” the lease agreement to the original construction date of the building. The property in question was built in 1970 and as a commercial hotel has been remitting ad-valorem property taxes. It will not become a government property subject to GPLET until the government receives the deed following the certificate of occupancy. A.R.S. § 42-6203(A)(2) reads:
“The tax rate for government property improvements for which the original certificate of occupancy was issued:
(a) At least ten years but less than twenty years before the date the tax is due is eighty percent of the rate provided in paragraph 1 of this subsection.
(b) At least twenty years but less than thirty years before the date the tax is due is sixty percent of the rate provided in paragraph 1 of this subsection.
(c) At least thirty but less than forty years before the date the tax is due is forty percent of the rate provided in paragraph 1 of this subsection.
(d) At least forty but less than fifty years before the date the tax is due is twenty percent of the rate provided in paragraph 1 of this subsection.
(e) Fifty or more years before the date the tax is due is zero.”
Although the property was originally built in 1970, it did not become government property until 2017, and therefore the original certificate of occupancy (C/O) would be in 2017, not 1970. Despite there being a significant and obvious financial incentive for the City and the lessee to pretend this incentive began 47 years ago, such an interpretation is a peculiar and likely illegal stretch of the law.
Thankfully, the recourse for both GPLET deals is relatively simple. Both leases must be canceled and re-signed using the “post-2010” GPLET rates of A.R.S. § 42-6203(B). This solves all three illegal actions taken by the council and will not further necessitate an Attorney General SB 1487 investigation brought pursuant to A.R.S. § 41-194.01. I expect your response on these matters by Thursday, December 21st.
Thank you in advance for your prompt response and attention to this letter.
Respectfully,
Vince Leach
State Representative, District 11
Arizona House of Representatives
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – House Speaker J.D. Mesnard (R-17) announced today that Representative David Livingston (R-22), currently vice-chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, will serve as acting chairman.
Representative Vince Leach (R-11), chairman of the Appropriations Committee’s Public Safety, Infrastructure, and Resources Subcommittee, has been named acting vice-chairman of the committee.
Last week, Speaker Mesnard suspended the duties of Representative Don Shooter (R-13) as chairman of the Appropriations Committee until the investigation into sexual harassment allegations against him has concluded.
“I appreciate the willingness of Representatives Livingston and Leach to step up and take on additional duties on the Appropriations Committee,” said Speaker Mesnard. “Upon the conclusion of the investigation into Representative Shooter, I will reassess the leadership of the committee moving forward.”