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Sunday, May 09, 2010
A Letter To The Editor
I cannot understand in these difficult economic times, or in most economic times, how any municipality can continually raise taxes. We just had a huge increase in water, sewer, refuse collection last year, mine went up $50/quarter, now, if I read correctly, another $30/quarter this year? In addition, a proposed increase in property taxes of 8-10 cents, I assume per hundred of assessed valuation, is being considered. We are being taxed into poverty in this country and I am afraid the entire system will soon implode. Obviously the unbridled growth we have in this area does not pay its way with taxes. Shouldn't our assessed valuation be reduced with the general decline in home values? What can we do?
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16 comments:
The rise in water and sewer is due to Barrie Tilghmans budget voted and approved before she left office. I think the increase will continue over 3 years. Ask your council rep they could tell you.
Is this person speaking about Salisbury, Fruitland or Delmar?
Explain to the current crop, reverse them or face a a major dose of Votemout.
Delmar, Maryland, property taxes went DOWN 2% this year. No thanks to the people that voted for that wingnut Tom McGuire.
Probably Fruitland. Salisbury doesn't have a tax increase proposed this year. Probably have water and sewer increases though.
Barrie Tilghman did as much damage as she possibly could before she left. Mike Dunn & Lynn Cathcart, same thing. Rammed all the growth through that they could for their developer and landlord buddies without getting anything for Salisbury.
It will take years to recover, if Salisbury even can.
You cannot understand why?
Because you voted them in office.
You also need to know that they only care about there own pockets.
It must be Fruitland. We recently looked at a home there that we loved and decided to buy, UNTIL we saw the taxes and water bill. The taxes were $4200.00 a year combined and the water bill was $250.00 a quarter and getting ready to increase. They provide practically nothing for this amount. The town leadership is insane to expect people to commit to this level of taxation in these economic times.
Anonymous said...
...It will take years to recover, if Salisbury even can.
10:29 AM
And even longer since Jim Ireton is there....
Joe, can you tell us what municipality the writer is referring to?
This comment is probably from the Fiday posting regarding yet another water and sewer increase in Fruitland. This is a direct result of people not doing their jobs. This will make a 40% increase in water and sewer rates over the last 2 years. My question, what has happened to require this type of increase. At the end of the public hearing last year, it came to light that Fruitland has not been following the rules and placing money into a fund required by MDE (i believe) to ensure that money is available to fix a failure and/or upgrade facilities. Fruitland apparently was asleep at the wheel and is now having to play catch-up. They were called out by MDE. My question, if Fruitland was following the rules, would we be where we are? Smaller increases along are much easier to absorb than huge increases at a time. Last years increase equated to 200 a year and with the increase suggested this year will amount to a total increase of atleast $320 per year. My water and sewer bill not too many years ago, was around $200 per quarter. Now with last year and this year, it will be $280 per quarter. My math says that this is a 40% increase in just TWO YEARS. One person said it is because we voted them in. Well I can agree with that to an extent, however, this becomes more of a problem with management and kicking the can down the road. Yes the council will have to pass the increase and should have been more proactive in making sure that this didn't happen. When it comes right down to it, there aint much to choose from at election time. My Idea: Charge more money for people that use over the 8000 minimum usage. This would encourage people to conserve more water which would translate into less chemicals needed to treat water. Charge a larger fee to rental units. Especially the ever more popular concept of putting these little additions onto houses so that they may throw 3 college kids into a house at $500 per kid per month. This equates to 3 kids, and 10 of their friends. These slumlords are making big bucks off of their businesses. Maybe there is a correlation with the increase in student housing and and increase in consumption. I was interested in looking at the links on Fruitlands Website that showed populations in the 18-23 bracket now exceed any older age bracket. My suggestion to Fruitland residents. Don't wait to call the police with problems such as noise, trash, high grass etc. coming from these properties. They are making tons of money from them and can't even manage to cut the grass util it is over a foot tall. I know this meeting falls the same night as the County Budget Hearing, but if you can, try to make it to both. They need to hear from the public and know that they had better wake up and start doing what they were elected to do.
11:45 I agree with you. I was at that meeting last year also. Yes, someone was asleep over the past four years which resulted in a huge hit in our wallets. I will be at the public hearing again this year. here's only one problem I have with attending. Last year the council made it clear that we were getting a raise in our bills last year AND would be hit again this year to make up for the mistake in not allowing small increases over the past four years. No matter how many show up and what they have to say they've already made up their minds. Come October vote for those who know what they will be doing, not those who have an agenda. There are three seats coming up for election.
I just realized something....Barrie Parsons Tilghman is Jim Ireton in Drag!!
uh, um...groaf pays fer groaf
Show up for the meetings. Ask direct questions, and don't be afraid that someone will be embarrassed-- if they are, it's because of what they've done.
They haven't been 'asleep at the switch'-- they knew what they were doing. Trying to avoid raising rates, but they FAILED to do the things that would prevent an increase being required.
When you're hiring extra layers of management to babysit people who aren't doing their jobs, it gets VERY expensive.
If you won't address the issues that are eating up all your funds and not producing anything, there will come a day of reckoning.
Leaving an unmotivated and incompetent city manager in place for 3 years started this trainwreck, and things are getting worse by the day.
This will be quite a mess to clean up.
The council has planned these increases, but they work for us.
We need to show up and let them know these increases are unacceptable.
Make the necessary cuts-- not sometime in the future-- RIGHT NOW.
No increases.
Every single citizen in Fruitland can show up to try to fight this but it won't help. At last year's meeting many taxpayers expressed how they felt on this and how it would of made better sense to of raised it a little each year. They said that they had to do it and that it would happen again in 2010. They knew at that meeting that they would be doing this. They are only holding this meeting because they HAVE to legally. No matter how many of us show up they already have it set to do. R. Tull is going around town saying his house is up for sale that he's moving. It isn't right that he'll vote on an increase that won't hurt his wallet. R. Carey stated how last year's increase will hurt him. Seems if this is true he'd be voting against this. T. Lokey and G. Olinde are up for election in October. Has anyone heard if they plan to run or not? People, seek people in Fruitland to run for the three seats. Seek out people who know what they are doing. This is a business we trust them to run not a hobby for them to show up and do nothing minus the agenda for themselves and pals. Start paying attention to the council to see who really does what and who fills a chair at council meetings. I'm sure this town could be run with only three council members instead of five.
same old, same old
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