For several years now Maricopa County has worked with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to provide a low income public housing project in the Town of Guadalupe called Las Flores de Guadalupe. Las Flores de Guadalupe is a project that includes forty single-family homes plus two multi-family units for five families each and meets both the Federal and State tax exemption requirements as a government project. (Per A.R.S. 42-1131)
The Maricopa County Assessor has granted the exemption and federal law requires payments be made to the taxing entity. This agreement allows the County to receive direct annual payments from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe as user fees in lieu of taxes on a low income housing project.
Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, whose District 5 includes the Town of Guadalupe, has been working on this project with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe for several years. She says, “Low income housing is extremely important to develop in our community. The legislation that was passed will allow the Yaqui Nation to make this a reality in Guadalupe.”
Benito Valencia, Councilman and former Chairman of the Pascua Yaqui Tribal Council, says, “This project is significant because the cooperative efforts with the County Board of Supervisors demonstrates a true government to government effort to improve and enhance the quality of life for our tribal members. We are engaging in a similar cooperation with the municipality of Guadalupe.”