13.8%  

Posted by Mr. Ellsworth Toohey

Another magical budget time. Tax increases are like Mardi Gras beads. You can hang them around someone's neck, where they are shiny and stick out like a sore thumb, but they are bound to get lost after a month or so of sobriety. This will be the same as all the rest. Pass 13 - 14% increase, allow a year to pass before the next elections, by that time they delay the budget until after the election, and the Council President glides back freely into his Council seat. Just like last year. Oh wait . . . . . . didn't quite happen that way.

We can't continue to tax our way out financial problems.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at Tuesday, November 18, 2008 . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

2 comments

Anonymous  

Amen to that.

Let's just remember the 500 lb. gorilla: The schools. They represent about 90% of your property tax nut.

I agree constantly raising the other 10% sets a bad example. Terrible, in fact, when you consider that council couldn't even arrange a fig leaf of cuts somewhere, or talk about how a BID was on the way. And the current office-holders deserve to pay at the ballot box, if any of them bother running for reelection.

But if we really want property tax relief it has to happen on the school end. Then we may be able to afford to improve the parks.

Can we do that without sacrificing the quality of education? Well, yes. I think we can.

November 19, 2008 at 4:07 PM
Mr. Ellsworth Toohey  

I am afraid that cuts on the school end may not happen but you are right. If the best that Henry and the boys could do was to cut the Planning Commission stipend, that is sad. Actually, that didn't even pass so that is even worse.

13.8 this year, 14.8 next year and so on, and so on. It gets old quick.

November 19, 2008 at 4:29 PM

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