BISBEE - It's official. The county property tax rate of $2.8653 per $100 of assessed property value was set Monday morning by the Cochise County Board of Supervisors.

Supervisors Richard Searle and Pat Call attended the special meeting.

The new rate is 0.0507 less than last year's 2.9160.

Searle questioned the tax rate and thought the supervisors had discussed lowering it even further. But Call said that there was no significant revenue that was not earmarked for use.

Lois Klein, county financial director, presented the two supervisors with the 2007-08 tax rates that covered primary and secondary rates for county flood control, light, fire and school districts.

There was one error that had to be corrected before the supervisors approved it. Searle, who sits on the school board for Valley Union High School, said that the rate was reduced to last year's rate of 1.5720 and not increased to 1.9518, as the information showed.

Searle called Union Valley School Superintendent Gary Walker to get confirmation of the board's vote taken at the meeting last week.

County School Superintendent Trudy Berry also told the supervisors that Naco School District had held its tax rate at 4.56 rather than boosting it to 4.7791, even though the budget for 2007-08 was set at the higher rate.

"The board said after last week's meeting that the rate would stay the same and not be increased," Berry said. "I have contacted them repeatedly and have received no response. If they don't revise the budget downward, they will continue to carry this deficit next year. With this tax rate they cannot cover their expenses."

Naco School District will show a $290,000 deficit in revenue as it now stands, she noted.

The majority of school district tax rates were increased slightly over last year, though Sierra Vista's elementary and high schools went up 1.6453 to 3.2865 and 0.1780 to 1.5512 respectively. Bowie's also went up from 10.6949 to 11.7345. Rucker residents will see a zero on their tax bills for schools since the small town has no students to transport this year.

The county school tax rate was raised slightly from 0.06989 to 0.7439, representing a 0.0450 increase.

Municipal tax rates also went down with the exception of Willcox, which was raised from 0.0140 to .2813.

Supervisor Paul Newman was not in attendance at the special meeting, and no reason was given for his absence.