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Scandal-Ridden City Of Bell Must Return Tax Dollars

BELL (AP) — Homeowners in the small Southern California city of Bell should be receiving a total of $3 million in property tax refunds in the coming months.

Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado signed a law into effect Monday allowing taxes collected illegally to be returned to the working-class suburb's approximately 4,000 property owners. The exact amount of each refund will depend on the value of an owner's property.

Maldonado, acting as governor while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is out of state, signed the bill at the Bell City Hall.

The Los Angeles suburb is the target of state and federal investigations looking into not only high taxes but also high salaries paid to several former Bell officials and allegations of racial profiling of Hispanic drivers.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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