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Find the means

Posted

Like a good many residents, we moved here from the Midwest and know what a burden property tax bills can become.

Without sales tax revenues from a booming building trade and a growing demand for services, our town has become quite ill and if we do not take care it could die.

The Town Council is considering ways to increase revenues and eliminate the anticipated increasing deficit, foremost among them is a flat assessment, applied on all businesses and building owners to pay for public safety and maintenance of the infrastructure.

What concerns me most is the fact that if an assessment can be levied without a vote of the electorate, then it could be increased in the same manner.

That said, there are several large dollar questions regarding future police and fire services. What might we do if Rural Metro could no longer provide fire protection or emergency services? What if the sheriff is forced to, or chooses to, give up the contracted police services we now have? If we keep those services going forward, and we know we must, how much more might they cost?

If we want to prevent the town from becoming a place only Mad Max could love, we must take immediate action and work towards a reliable source of revenue with some built- in protection for citizens to block runaway tax increases.

I propose an immediate, per unit assessment, on all businesses, multifamily buildings, and residences for a one-year term. This would provide time to establish a property tax based on value with built-in protection against uncontrolled increases similar to the special taxing districts we used to have where increases were voted upon by the residents.

Forget about quibbling over businesses getting a free ride and part-time residents not paying their share -- we must find the means.