Several years ago - (1978) - Talbot County instituted a Tax Cap after a hugely unacceptable tax increase - similar to Wicomico County - incensed the voters to action. From 1978 until 1995 ballot questions were put before the voters to remove the Tax Cap. Finally, in January of 1995 a Coalition of Special Interest Groups - Board of Education, Chamber of Commerce, PTA, NAACP, League of Women Voters, and other individuals sued to overturn the Tax Cap - and they won! The Tax Cap was ruled unconstitutional.
Do you think VOICE should have gone for a Tax Cap? That certainly would have been an easy 'kneejerk' thing to do in light of the Court's decision.
After the Tax Cap was ruled unconstitutional in January 1995, the Talbot County Council in May raised the property tax by 46%. That's right they raised the property taxes by almost 50 percent! But they - SPECIAL INTEREST - didn't have enough! The next year, 1996, they raised it another 46.3%! And we - Wicomico residents - think 23.7% was bad. Now let's try and add this up . . . what's 46.1% and 46.3% over two years. Let's hold the math until the end of this lesson.
The Talbot voters were so incensed they searched for a way to stop these run-a-way politicos and came up with the Revenue Cap concept. The voters rallied to get it on the ballot and it was passed in 1996 by 72.21% of the voters. It stands as law today in that County. Even after many attempts to have it removed . . . VOICE used the EXACT wording in their petition as was used in Talbot County. It's exactly the same language that is law in Talbot now.
So what have we learned today. Hopefully we've learned that from the time a Tax Cap was ruled unconstitutional and was replaced by a Revenue Cap in Talbot County (1995 - 1996) - property taxes went up 92.4%. Actually that would not be entirely accurate as I'm told that before the Revenue Cap could become law the actual true tax increase was 113.8%
The next question is a bit more subjective - after this current events history lesson - is the Daily Times staunch reason for objecting to the Revenue Cap . . . do you now feel the VOICE proposals are obviously not well thought out?
If your property tax increased by 113.8% - would the difference be greater or less than your recent pay raise?
"THOSE WHO IGNORE HISTORY ARE DESTINED TO REPEAT IT"
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24 comments:
Keep the revenue cap exactly like it is today. As taxpayers we can not take the chance with our elected officials. We all need to live within our means and that means the county also. Get with it and cut the budget.
It sounds like Rick Pollitt knows his history and wants it repeated! We already give what, 75% of our taxes to the BOE,and they want more. No one I know has more to give; my taxes have doubled in the last 20 years and I think that's too much. If I wasn't working so much to pay the taxes I owe, I might have some spare time to give to the BOE and other Community services as a volunteer to help out.
Voice gets both of our votes, thank you!
Maryland voters are in trouble if they don't clean house. Senate Mike Miller has already publicly promised to raise gasoline taxes if reelected. The Governor has yet to produce a balanced budget since taking office and he only has one more chance before he asks the voters to elect him for another term. Now, you have the County to watch out for all the while people are increasingly unemployed or experiencing lowered income.
One of Maryland's biggest expenses is the police force. Has anyone considered that Salisbury taxpayers fund the State Police, County Police, and a City police? Make one wonder why crime there is so high.
"THOSE WHO IGNORE HISTORY ARE DESTINED TO REPEAT IT"
Ok Beezer...nice quote but whose is it?
Where is the common sense /logic in the Politians? Where is their basic math skills? Where are they representing the Tax Payers interest? Now with these questions add in no job or parttime job to support families, robbing Peter to pay Paul in the bills catagory (rent, electric, food, gas to go to work and other necessities) where does the County Executive and his Good Ole Boys get off on repealing the Revenue Cap to raise taxes to pay for their desires? These Obama supporters do not beleive in spreading the wealth or they would not be wanting to raise my taxes. They would be paying the difference in taxes collected and taxes need to pay for their political desires. That is spreading the wealth IMO.
Beezer, everytime I talk to some of the more - liberal residents of our county, I hear the same thing: "We're not going to be able to maintain the same level of services we currently provide without abolishing the revenue cap." Well I agree. I also agree that the citizens of Wicomico County have spoken on that issue. The majority of the citizens have taken the position that the county government has gone beyond its intended purpose by taxing the citizens to fund social programs and expanding government responsibilities. Our government on every level is bloated so badly that the level of taxation necessary to support moves the citizenry to rebellion at the ballot box. Thankfully, our founding fathers had the foresight to place mechanisms in our charters and constitutions (state and federal)peacefully take our governments back. Unfortunately, the courts seem to be all too willing to undermine these mechanisms when they are utilized by the citizens. Government on all levels need to be reduced in size to that point at which it can be sustained at the current level of taxation......and live with it.
The revenue cap has truly hurt the progress of schools, especially with overcrowding. Many of the discipline issues could be taken care of with smaller class sizes. We need more school construction and part of that is local support.
Many of VOICE supporters are over the hill geezers that live on a fixed income and cry about paying taxes. If you don't like it, move to Florida.
We need to be like Pennsylvania and assess a local school tax to fund education.
Granted, there are positions at the BOE that can be eliminated and they will. The BOE is looking for over 7 million in cuts for next year but that money should be given back by the county for school construction. I am tired of my kids being in classes with 28-30 kids.
Response to 10:20 Post
When I was in college we used to have 70 students in class. I remember vividly having Professor Sistrunk for Biology - 70 students, Dr. Dulaney - Psychology 80 students. So go get life in trying to maintain 28-30 students. The teachers now have assistants which they never had before.
What a joke with your post. I say before any more school constuction projects are approved it should be brought to a public referendum like Delaware does. Then we'll realize a much more streamlined budget.
Maryland is getting what it deserves they're more worried about party affiliation then what's best for the state . Maryland is one of the countries highest taxing states and yet they keep voting for the same idiots !
10:20 If you have so much money put your children in private school. The remainder of us tax payers choose to have the government live with in there means.
If they need money for schools take some out of the board of education budget and dont build the unwanated unneeded library.
get rid of the two extra council persons. Most of all get rid of Rick when its time to vote.
Enough is enough!
Not comparing people to NAZIS this week I see. VOICE. Give me a break.
anon 10:20 you are talking out of your a$$ i am a supporter of the revenue cap and i am 39 years old ,not what i consider an old geezer.Iam also en electrician who has worked on many school projects and all i see in these schools is waste. How does flt screen tvs in every classroom help educate our students and how does a computer for almost every student help when tgey do not understand the basic three "R" s .The new schools have turned into a contest of who can put the most useless junk in school and not about education .Every time we dump more money in schools we lower the standards of education,when we should be doing the opposite .
10:20
People moving to Florida will NOT help at all. This will only lower the amount of taxes being paid in. If you dont like the large class sizes I suggest you use a private school.
12:16
I agee with you 100%. The things they are putting in schools now are crazy. Alot of wasted money going into a school that is not needed.
In case you haven't noticed, all new TVs are flat screens. So naturally any new school will have flat screen TVs. If students don't have the latest technology, they will graduate way behind in the this 21st century world. So, computers are needed for all students to use the 3 R's in the 21st century. If they aren't educated properly now, they will rob and kill you later.
When my kids were in public schools, there were 12-15 kids in a classroom. When I went to Catholic private school, there was an average of 36 kids per class/ grade. The BOE is wasting money. I am 55 years old, and I still think that the BOE getting more than half of the tax base is ludicrous.
The only taxpayers for eliminating the tax cap are the overpaid county employees. Go Voice!
10:20, We will stay here in Wicomico County and keep the Voice Tax Cap in place, you are more then welcome to take your sorry a@# to Florida. We won last time to put this Tax Cap in place and we will win again to keep it.
30 kids per classroom was normal for me when I was in school. This was over 40 years ago (I am not an old geezer ... yet).
I fail to see how spending money on more classrooms improves the education in Wicomico. You would think that having more students per classroom would be an efficient way of spending money -- resulting in a lower cost/student ratio.
We never had flat-screen TV monitors nor fancy computers in class when I went to school. We actually had to learn things and prove it using pencil and paper.
Wow, I was unaware of the history surrounding the Revenue Cap verses Tax Cap until I read Beezer's post this morning.
I have never read or seen anything mentioned about the history of Talbot Counties revenue cap in The Daily Times newspaper.
I'm continually impressed with the advent of this electronic media. Thank you SBYnews for shedding light on a subject that would have otherwise been lost in the shuffle.
Give me a break! 30 kids in a class room???? Why do you think the BOE is now considering redistricting? Some schools are overcrowed due to " special treatment of some kids" and some schools are under capacity. If the BOE was doing their job this would not have happened. Last time they redistrict was back in the late
90's. I say, put the pressure on the BOE and make them accountable for their lack of actions.
Regarding the revenue cap: Not a great way to run any government.
However, as long as we, the people, keep falling for the candidates who use fear to get our vote then we deserve what we get and the revenue cap needs to stay in place. Otherwise, we will be paying dearly in taxes.
Vote in 2010 and know who you are voting for.
Pollit is a GONER!!
It's time to release the salary data!
Who wants that tools job and wants to make 100,000 a year!?
Anyone? Anyone?
Wicomico County needs to learn from Delaware! The taxes are at least 50% less than Wicomico, and almost 90% of that goes for the school system. Wicomico's problem isn't the BOE, it's the ridiculous waste in all of the other programs!
Yep - it's all the school system's fault. Let's blame them! I just love when the salary data is published about the BOE people like they are just robbing us all blind. VOICE jumps all over that just for that reason to stir up the retirees on fixed incomes and uses that to further their own ends as they laugh all the way to the bank. Maybe we should find a way to publish what the illustrious VOICE President and his cronies make each year for the same reason and see how that goes over. Now THAT would be fun! Sure, there are those in every profession that just don't deserve what they make, but the vast majority of the BOE folks are decent people doing a pretty thankless job. Certainly the teachers knew what they were getting into when they took their jobs, but I am also sick of hearing that same statement made by many when they look to have competitive wages. They went to college on their own dime, earned their degrees, and have a right to expect fair compensation for that. I don't think those bozos involved in VOICE would make it very long in the classrooms of today dealing with all of the crap those people have to put up with. The real issue we are facing started 20 years ago when everyone wanted no new taxes, and we got so far behind that the problem has become such a mess that it will be impossible to fix. There is no industry here on the shore - why? There is NOTHING of substance here to offer, and without that, this local economy is flatlined. Crime is way out of control, and when the teachers feel like they're being blasted daily, they pack up and go. Many would say good riddence, but what happens is we waste even more money losing local talent because they can go to a lot of other places and be treated a lot better. I don't hear anyone saying nurses, soc. workers, mental health workers, make too much. If we don't have a top notch school system (and we don't for a lot of reasons) how will we dig out of this mess? Lets just freeze or reduce teacher salaries, or flat out lay them off, let class sizes get out of control like they are in Balt. and see what happens next. If you think crime is bad now, let that happen. There will be no hope then, and when those retirees start getting attacked in even higher numbers than they are now, what do we do then? Sure, the BOE needs to be cut back, and they are like everyone else, but to make such silly statements without understanding how their budget works is just nuts. It's complex, and maybe they aren't doing the best job of explaining it so the average joe can understand it, but they are not robbing us all blind. Stop blaming the BOE and think about what we can all to to start to remedy this mess.
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