On April 2nd, more than 100 residents attended a town hall at the Taft Community Center focused on the impact of property tax lawsuits filed by the Walt Disney Company and the rising costs for working families.

Hosted by UNITE HERE and the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, the event gave speakers and community members the opportunity to raise concerns about Disney’s lawsuits against Orange County, seeking refunds of property taxes that fund public schools.

Orange County Public Schools has set aside $119 million in response to these lawsuits. The conversation centered on how these lawsuits could affect school funding, while local residents are feeling financial pressure from the cost of living.

There was also discussion of the rising healthcare costs affecting both hospitality workers and public school teachers. Some were concerned that Disney may increase health insurance costs for about 29,000 workers, while teachers in Orange County may face similar problems with rising costs.

Prior to the event, canvassers visited over 12,000 houses in the community to speak with residents, and over 1,000 signed a petition asking Disney to drop the property tax lawsuits and not raise their workers’ healthcare costs.

One resident and Disney worker said, “I own my home, I pay my bills, and my grandfather is on a fixed income. I work at Disney and see how much guests spend every day. We all know Disney can afford to pay more in taxes. If the county raises everyone else’s taxes to make up for Disney getting a refund, I couldn’t afford that.”

In the meantime, make sure you keep following Disney Food Blog for more Disney news.

DISNEY WORLD FILES 15 LAWSUITS AGAINST ORANGE COUNTY