July 23, 2007

LOOK WHAT ARRIVED IN THE MAIL THIS WEEK HONEY,TWO PROPERTY TAX BILLS!!! WHEN WILL IT STOP?


Just a short note to ruin your weekend. Last week I got two mailings, one from the City of Memphis dated July 13, 2007 and one from the County dated July 19, 2007. You guessed it, PROPERTY TAX NOTICES. THE City tax is due August 31 and the County tax is due February 29, 2008, over 6 months from now. Hope I don’t lose the bill by then.

Then I went back and check some old bills and here is the result.

My City taxes have gone up 62% from 1999 to 2007 whereas inflation has gone up 23.7%. My County taxes have gone up 88% whereas inflation has gone up 25.6%.

Something is very wrong here. Why cannot the City and the County expenses go up at near the inflation rate? Both the City and the County are out of control.

CONCLUSION: WE NEED A RESOLUTION FOR BOTH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY THAT REAL PROPERTY TAXES CANNOT BE INCREASED WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED, THAT IS THE TAXPAYERS. HERE IS THE NEWS STORY.

Tax ballot measure wins
Voters want to take authority from Metro Council, supporter says
By LEE ANN O'NEAL
Staff Writer


Published: Wednesday, 11/08/06
Future property tax rate increases would have to go to the voters under a Metro Nashville referendum on Tuesday's ballot.
Supporters of the ballot measure outnumbered opponents by a strong margin.
"It was very jubilant," ballot measure organizer Ben Cunningham said of the party of supporters gathered at Brown's Diner on Nashville's Blair Boulevard.
"What (voters) are saying is that we want to take some of this authority back from the Metro Council and reserve it for ourselves, for the voters," he said. Cunningham also led the effort by the Tennessee Tax Revolt group to kill a statewide tax on wages in 2001.
Cunningham said supporters' only promotions of the current measure in the days leading up to Tuesday's election were use of informal e-mail reminders and about $2,000 in automated phone calls. No formal committee was organized to oppose the measure.
State Rep. Gary Moore, with the Nashville firefighters union, said he fears the measure would jeopardize public services.
"It doesn't really work that well," Moore said of tax limits imposed in other cities. "It can endanger public safety. It can jeopardize all aspects of government."
Measure supporter Bob Claxton, of Darden Place, said money isn't the way to improve some public services, such as schools. He said he hoped the measure would be approved and serve to restrain government spending.
"I think this is just the beginning," Claxton said. "We need to put the hole in the dam."
The measure would alter the city's founding document, or charter, to require voter approval for any property tax rate increases. Tax bills for individual homeowners could still increase as home values rise. •

Published: Wednesday, 11/08/06


Click here to see what arrived in my mail this past week

Click here to see the petion used in Davison County successfully to put a restraint on the politicians. We could do this in Shelby County but the City Charter does not allow such a petition. Does that tell you something about our politicians and what they think of the taxpayers