City Council Poised to Pass Higher Taxes
On Thursday, Oct. 8, the Anderson City Council convenes for a public hearing to:
- Repeal CEDIT
- Increase COIT to increase the Homestead Credit percentage
- Impose an extra COIT for public safety
Your city council, dominated by Democrats, is poised to pass this ordinance.
The word around town is that a lone Republican may actually favor the ordinance. And even if a couple of Democrat dissenters vote it down, the nine-member council still has enough votes to pass it.
Herald Bulletin Editorial
The Herald Bulletin hit the nail on the head in its July 10 editorial:
When the economy is sour, unemployment up, wages down, charitable giving stagnant and government assistance limited, it’s not the right time to raise taxes.
It’s the right time for government to become leaner and more efficient, to re-evaluate the services it offers and the way they’re offered.
Action Items
- Post a link to your Facebook page.
- Tweet it to your Twitter account.
- Email or text it to your friends and family.
- Phone a friend.
- Meet us all at City Hall on Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.
Many in our community don’t even know about the proposed ordinance. We must hold local leaders’ feet to the fire, and send them the message that raising taxes is unacceptable, especially with our slumping economy.
Why aren’t we exploring more traditional options like salary cuts? If the ordinance passes, God forbid, we can repeal it with new council seats in 2010. Correction: City elections are in 2011. (Thanks, Russ!)
What, When & Where
Anderson City Council Public Meeting
Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.
City Hall Council Chambers
120 East 8th Street
Anderson City Council
- Rick Muir, (D), President, At-Large
- Donna Davis (D), Dist. 2
- Pamela Jones (D), Dist. 3
- Ollie Dixon (D), Dist. 4
- Joe Newman (D), Dist. 6
- David Eicks (D), At-Large
- Rodney Chamberlain (D), At-Large
- Mike Welch (R), Dist. 1
- Art Pepelea, Jr. (R), Dist. 5
Council members are not without controversy. In June, Councilman Dixon pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while intoxicated and was the focus of a grand jury indictment on a charge of criminal recklessness in connection with his toting a loaded .45-caliber handgun into the county jail. Dixon called the gun charge “ridiculous,” and “political-, racial- and class-motivated.”
The charge was eventually dismissed by a tearful Madison Circuit Court Judge Fredrick Spencer — who is also a Democrat — on his last day on the bench following a state investigation of alleged misconduct.
I’m sympathetic to the fact that the property tax caps have impacted the city and county, but elected officials need to find a solution other than taxing us taxpayers even more. I figured up the impact to my household income and it will be over $1,000+ alone with a LOIT. That doesn’t include the wheel tax, trash fee, sewer rate increase, water rate increase. More and more of my money is going to government instead of in my pocketbook.
Leland Franklin made this astute comment this morning on his radio show on WHBU: If city leaders refuse to cut staff, salaries and services — and instead raise taxes — people will simply move away from Anderson and Madison County.
You can tell our city leaders have no clue on how to run a business much less balance a budget. Their answer is to raise taxes because they are afraid they will lose votes of the people who helped get them elected. Deadbeats. Always generous with other people’s money — and never their own.
Why would anyone want to live in Anderson? High taxes, empty houses, crumbling infrastructure, etc. Democrats are causing great suffering with their adoption of the bailout mentality.