DAILY JOURNAL - NOVEMBER 14, 2011

WAKE UP WAKE COUNTY PUSHES FOR NEW TAXES

MEETINGS ON BIPARTISAN SCHOOL CHOICE PLAN START

NON-WAKE COMMUNITY EFFORTS BROUGHT CHANGE

MASSIVE TAX INCREASES FOR A SYSTEM LARGE MAJORITIES NEVER USE?

Most Triangle voters are willing to pay higher taxes to beef up public transportation service in the region - even though most don't ride buses now and don't expect to ride buses and trains in the future, according to a three-county poll released Wednesday.

Of 901 Wake, Durham and Orange county registered voters surveyed by phone in early March, 58 percent said they would vote for a proposed half-cent increase in the local sales tax to pay for a network of rail transit and more buses. Thirty-nine percent said they would vote against it.

Triangle elected officials are developing long-range plans for an improved transit system. In 2011 or 2012 officials are expected to call for a local referendum on whether to levy a half-cent sales tax to help pay for transit.

The survey was conducted by Fallon Research, based in Columbus, Ohio, for the Regional Transportation Alliance, a nonprofit Triangle business group that lobbies for transportation improvements. Fallon said the poll had a margin of error of 3.26 percentage points.

Other findings in the poll:

♦Nine percent use public transportation frequently or very frequently, and 69 percent do not use it at all.


Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/03/25/405588/voters-willing-to-pay-for-transit.html

SPEAK UP WAKEUP!

Growth Matters has an excellent post on the latest move by the NC Association of County Commissioners.

The NC Association of County Commissioners, in their failed efforts to impose transfer taxes on an already tough real estate market, now wants to bypass voters. They will push to allow county governing bodies to impose all sorts of new taxes without seeking voter approval.

In essence Meeker has followed this principle with the array of downtown projects and the millions in debt he has saddled Raleigh residents. Raleigh residents were not allowed to voice their opinion on the Convention Center, City Plaza or the Fayetteville Street makeover. The latest? $226 million for a public safety center that he is now trying to hand off the costs to the federal government.

SO WHAT'S IT GOING TO BE WAKEUP? ARE YOU FOR STRIPPING CITIZEN EMPOWERMENT?

IS THIS CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN?

SPEAK UP WAKEUP!

TRANSFER TAXES GO DOWN BUT PROPERTY TAXES HAVE GONE UP

As far as gains and losses, what did we actually accomplish if local government takes money from its citizens in one way rather than another?

Related Story

APPEAL YOUR REVALUATION

Americans for Prosperity NC held a great overview of the revaluation process for Wake County residents last night.

This is the first of two steps to keep the reassesment process from impacting your family's financial health for the worse. The second step is to step up and let the county commissioners know that you want the reassesment to be revenue neutral.

There is currently a move afoot by the downtown elites to further tax Wake County homeowners by hiding a tax increase in the revaluation process.

If you want more information about AFP's forum last night, click here.

YOUR VEHICLE TAX INCREASED TO PAY FOR PLUSH IMPROVEMENTS TO FAYETTEVILLE STREET

Think that your vehicle tax was increased to address critical transportation needs throughout Raleigh? Think again.

According to the city of Raleigh, the tax will bring in about $1.4 million a year. What is that paying for? It appears for the extenstion of Fayetteville Street. The cost for that is $1.46 million. And that's just the beginning on costs for the Phase II extension.

From the minutes:
"Mayor Meeker moved approval of the recommendation as outlined and asked Administration to provide the budget information as requested by Ms. Taliaferro. His motion was seconded by Ms. Taliaferro and a roll call vote resulted in all members voting in the affirmative except Mr. Craven who voted in the negative. "

And we note once again Taliaferro's complaint about the lack of transportation dollars for items in her district. This would have more than covered the items mentioned in a previous post.

Priorities are what you pursue, not what you profess.

Hope you enjoy the upcoming potholes on your street as fall and winter approaches. You likely won't see them on Fayetteville Street.

FEE OR TAX? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

Here's a news release from the City of Raleigh:

City Council Approves Increase In Motor Vehicle Tax

The Raleigh City Council voted 7-1 today to raise the City’s motor vehicle fee to $25. The motor vehicle fee had been $20. The N.C. General Assembly voted to give the City of Raleigh the authority to raise the fee by $5. The extra revenue generated from the fee increase must be used for transportation purposes. The increase will result in an estimated $1.4 million a year for the City of Raleigh.

At least the PR folks got the terminology correct. It's a tax. Note how the City of Raleigh wants to call it a fee. Well, it feels so much better knowing it's only a $5 fee and not a $5 tax being taken out of my wallet.

Now here's Orwell personified:

The City of Raleigh PR folks announce approval of the new budget:

City Council Approves Budget; No Property Tax Increase

The Raleigh City Council approved a budget for Fiscal Year 2007-2008 (FY08) that enhances services to a rapidly growing city while maintaining the ad valorem or property tax rate. The City’s fiscal year is from July 1 to June 30.

The vote was 4 to 3 with Council Members Philip Isley, Thomas Crowder and Tommy Craven voting in opposition. Council Member Russ Stephenson was unable to attend the meeting.

Note the headline doesn't mention all the fee increases included in the budget. They are buried further in the document:

A $2 per month increase in the solid waste fee to cover costs for additional staff and equipment needs needed to serve an increasing population, additional landfill and transfer station costs and to increase overall recovery costs. The City Manager projects that the fee increase would enable Solid Waste Services to recover approximately 68 percent of its costs in FY08 compared to 61 percent two years ago;
Nine (9) percent increases in the water and sewer rates. These increases are in keeping with the water and sewer rate model approved by the city council in FY2005 to fund a significant capital improvement program;

Thank you Raleigh for raising my fees and not my taxes. What a difference. The only difference is tax-deductibility.

One final note in the document:

A projected 5 percent increase in property tax revenues and a 6.4 percent increase in sales tax revenues, both primarily due to growth;

Anyone want to point that out to Russ Stephenson since he apparently wasn't there to vote on the budget. Growth increases revenue which can be used to pay for growth, that is if you don't spend $16 million on downtown projects.

Plensa may not have been all that pretty. It did have one thing going for it - a willing private financier.