Tax
increase: Necessary move or a bear's thievery?
The Democratic position - Raise Taxes & Blame the NC Legislature
The
Republican position - prioritize spending and provide accountability
The County Budget - 30% in voted tax increases in 4 years (PLUS REVALUATION) !
Click here for County Budget web page:
The County's budget has been increased several times since 1996 when they took control of the County Commission:
Since 1997 property taxes have gone "up" as follows:
The Republican County Commission Caucus' Response to this years 15% tax increase and the Democratic Caucus' excuses for raising them
©The Charlotte Observer - Published Saturday, June 23, 2001
Republicans say we must defend our community against this ravenous, relentless beast
A statement from Tom Cox, Bill James, Jim Puckett and Ruth Samuelson, Republican members of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners:
There is a killer bear in our woods. He's real. He does not kill quickly like a strong bear. He kills by stealing our food and by scaring away others who would work here with us.
The bear in our woods is property taxes. If we do not defend ourselves, our property tax rate will likely double in the decade from 1997 to 2007. With Democrats in control of the county budget, the rate has gone up 29.2 percent in just four years.
The bear is relentless. Some surrender by letting the bear steal a little every year. Or by letting him skip a year so that his friends can be re-elected - only to take twice as much the next year. The Democrats claim new taxes are necessary to pay for growth. Not true. Property taxes are going up to buy more services from county government. The majority says "yes" to every claimant on county services. We Republicans contend that, as we say "yes" to some, we must say "no" or "wait" to others.
Orchestrated by Chairman Helms, the five Democrats voted to raise property taxes by 15 percent on all county property and by a whopping 25 percent on property for police protection in the unincorporated areas. This increase will add $100 million in spending this year.
The bear's appetite is insatiable. The majority says that a 15 percent increase only costs the average homeowner $165 more. The four Republicans say that a $165 tax increase takes one-half of the cost-of-living increase of a senior getting $12,000 from Social Security. We say that tax increases confiscate the very asset that gives retired moms and dads the security they earned through a lifetime of work and sacrifice for others. We say that tax increases scare off good jobs.
The bear is remorseless. The Republicans have proposed sensible actions that could have promoted accountability and would have prioritized county services. We have proposed freezing and reducing less necessary services. We oppose raising taxes to add new spending when existing spending is never seriously reviewed.
If schools are our highest priority, we contend that we should cut or hold down spending for other services. With their votes, the Democrats say that every service is high priority.
In less than one hour last week, the Democrats added millions in new spending not included in the manager's recommended budget. They even gave the Park and Recreation director $300,000 for a park he told us would not be built. Even the bear did not understand that one.
How would Republicans fight the bear? We would shine a light on him, cut him off from his food supply, then put him back in his cage. We would require a budget process that starts with the highest priority core services. We would let the public see where the discretionary spending goes. We would eliminate the assumption that a discretionary service, once funded, will be funded every year.
We would fund services based upon results and priority. We would force a funding showdown with the state. County property owners pay more every year for services the state says we must provide but gives us no money to do the job. The state pays only half of our costs to house their prisoners in our jail. They refuse to give the courts enough money, forcing taxpayers to buy more jail beds and jailers.
They underfund their biggest obligation to the county - our schools. The state wants counties to feed the bear because they are afraid of him. The state will not let us shift the burden of taxes from property to consumption (excluding food and drugs). Our people can choose to consume less, but they can do nothing about property values and taxes - except move.
A state committee has studied the tax problem for two years and now wants another two. We would force a showdown - now. Republicans know how to fight the bear in our woods. Property taxes don't have to double in 10 years to provide quality basic county services.
We believe that Republicans today have the best ideas for governing our county. Our sensible ideas would take the burden off the property taxpayer, while providing what is needed for a healthy, prosperous and livable community.
©The Charlotte Observer - Published Saturday, June 23, 2001
Democrats Blame legislators for not providing alternative sources of revenue
A statement from Democrat H. Parks Helms, chairman of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners:
The 10.97¢ property tax rate increase approved by the county commissioners on June 19 is the largest increase during my tenure on the Board of County Commissioners. Candidly, property taxes from the total tax rate of 83.97¢ per $100 valuation are unconscionably high, and are unfair to an extremely important segment of our county. Those retired and on fixed incomes have the right and the responsibility to complain. And I urge them to complain - not just to the county commissioners but to members of the N.C. General Assembly who have, for too long, ignored local governments' demands for alternative ways of raising revenues.
Of this 10.97¢ increase, 7.80¢ is for education. For years, we've said education is our community's top priority, and yet we have never corrected the inequities and shortcomings that have resulted from generations of neglect. This may be our last opportunity to determine whether we are genuinely committed to education or merely to political rhetoric.
While money is not the only answer to our school system's success, it is vital in retaining good teachers, effectively educating a diverse student population and dealing with a sometimes overwhelming growth rate.
For years, I have advocated different tax sources. I have urged the adoption of a payroll tax so wage earners could bear the major portion of educational costs. I have supported additional revenue sources that can be fairly imposed and that reflect the economic conditions existing in our community. I have advocated political consolidation with the City of Charlotte to have a single budget, a single set of priorities, and to create a shared responsibility for governing this county and educating our children. I have failed in these endeavors.
Citizens have several choices:
- They can accept that the
only revenue source available to the county commissioners is used in
a fiscally, ethically and responsible manner and continue to pay,
even with an unfair allocation falling on too many of our citizens.
- They can change the
policymakers on the board and elect those whose motivation is to
keep the tax rate low, at whatever cost to our quality of life, our
school system, and the values that have helped make this one of the
great counties in America.
- They can do what I hope they will do: Demand the N.C. General Assembly make fundamental changes in the way county government operations are funded. Demand that counties be given revenue sources not tied to the value of our homes. Demand that we restructure local governments so we can use our resources for our most important needs - and we can create an environment of trust rather than confusion and misunderstanding.
On Wednesday I traveled to Raleigh, spoke with the governor, the speaker of the House and the president pro tem of the Senate, and addressed the Senate Finance Committee. I shared the difficult budget decision made by the county commissioners. I reiterated my belief that the property tax rate should be reduced, and counties should be given the authority to adopt alternative revenue sources to finance the burden of growth. I am optimistic that the General Assembly will hear our pleas.
I personally accept the responsibility for aggressively advocating an increase in property taxes. I did so with sadness and humility. And I did so at great political risk and at the risk of offending and alienating friends and supporters.
But I also did so with the certain knowledge that this budget will bring about changes. It may very well change the makeup of this board. But that will not change the unfairness of the property tax system and the fractured governmental structure under which we now operate. Nor will voting out incumbents bring about the reforms needed to avoid this same consequence in future years. I hope approval of this budget will be a catalyst for bipartisan reform of financing and governing our community.
As elected officials, we have become paralyzed by partisan threats related to taxes. When our leaders are driven by the politics of fear and retaliation, we all become victims. It is my hope and prayer that we will find the courage to be driven, not by fear, not by doubt, but by our best and most noble instincts as human beings.
Since 1997 property taxes have gone "up" as follows: