By now we all know that Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt has proposed a $0.05 per hundred increase in the county’s real property tax rate. This would also filter down as increases for businesses that pay the personal property tax (including a tax on inventory). Before Pollitt’s proposed rate increase can take effect, one of two things must happen:
- The Wicomico County Council must approve a budget which includes all or part of the rate increase.
- The Council could do what they did last year … punt and refuse to pass a budget. This would mean that Pollitt’s proposed budget becomes law.
Option #2 really isn’t an option. If the council chose to punt this year, the entire responsibility for this rate increase should fall squarely on their shoulders. We elected our council members to lead, and to legislate; not hide under a bushel. That leaves option #1 – approving a budget that may include a higher real property rate.
It is unlikely that council will identify sufficient cuts to eradicate Pollitt’s entire rate increase. Pollitt’s budget bill is not a line item budget. Despite the fact that Wicomico County has adopted the same accounting system – MUNIS – that is used by the city of Salisbury, Wicomico council members do not receive the same level of detail that is available to Salisbury council members. This leaves council in the unenviable position of not having adequate information to propose enough specific cuts to keep rates at their current level.
One position that has been mentioned time and again as possibly unnecessary is that of Public Information Officer. Under Pollitt’s budget bill, council can cut dollars from the office of the County Executive but has limited say as to where Pollitt actually applies those cuts. Ditto in the case of building inspectors. The county currently employs three (3), but there is little to no current construction in Wicomico County. Do we really need three?
In addition to possibly unnecessary positions, it is difficult for council members to identify wasteful spending because of the lack of detailed information they receive. In addition, many of us forget that council members are PART TIME citizen legislators. They simply can’t have 10 hour budget meetings every day in the month of May.
What can citizens do? First, you can attend the council’s budget hearing on May 3rd. The meeting will be in the Midway Room of the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center and begins at 6:30 PM. If you want to see cuts in the county’s budget, recommend SPECIFIC cuts. It’s easy to say that there is tons of money wasted at the Board of Education or in Pollitt’s office. We need to tell council WHERE we should make those cuts. Sadly, it is even more difficult for citizens to propose specific cuts due to the lack of detail from the county and the Board of Ed. The second thing that you can do is to encourage your council members in cutting the budget. Every program has a constituency. There are always people asking that more money be spent on this program or that one (or that a program be spared from cuts). The third thing that citizens can do is ask council to DEMAND more detail from Pollitt’s office. That may mean purchasing more software. It just may mean a little more work in the Finance Department. Regardless, we owe it to ourselves to have our council members (and us) receive adequate information.
Do you want to pay a higher tax rate? If not, it’s time to pitch and offer specific and constructive ways to cut the county budget.
21 comments:
Get rid of Rick's mouthpiece, the "PIO", for starters.
If they could stop the employee theft - they would not need to raise taxes, as I see Mrs. Kenney from the library was recently arrested for embezzlement and theft scheme. That investigation has been ongoing for over a year and I am sure the audit cost the tax payers thousands of dollars which we will probably not recoup.
Maybe , just maybe it's time to stop giving my money away to drug addicts and welfare people. We could make them earn what they receive , pick up trash , clean , do the work the lazy county employees refuse to do.
Maybe we should high some mexicans , they work hard and are productive.
Why do most people hide from the truth , government employees are just worthless. Now that a certain minority(not mexicans) is filtering into these positions , nothing gets done.
Sorry for the truth!
Please tell it like it is, this is a proposed property tax "rate" increase and I would guess many individual property owners will not pay one cent more and in a great number of cases, less, even if the entire 5 cents is levied. It is misleading to ask people if they want to pay more taxes and make it sound as if they all will actually have to put out more money.
Anon 1532 -
??????????
Everyplace an increase is mentioned, the post says "tax rate". What is your concern.
The fact remains that unless the council cuts Pollitt's proposed budget, the higher rate will have to be paid.
Be sure your proposed ideas add up to $ 8.5 million...that's the shortfall.
Things like the PIO and take home cars and three building inspectors are certainly worthy of consideration under the circumstances.....but the gap is huge...you will not close it like that.
G.A. makes an excellent point about the BOE...The Executive has very little if any control there...and bear in mind that the State of Maryland is funding the BOE at almost three times the amount the county pays in....so in essence Wicomico is asking taxpayers in other counties to fund it's shortfall....how long do you think that is going to last.Other counties are hurting too.
These are not going to be easy decisions and I hope that we , as citizens ,can have an open and objective dialogue about them. Our future is at stake and we need to pay close attention and engage in serious debate.
3:32....it depends on where you are in triennial reassessment. If you were reassessed this year, your bill will likely be flat to last year. But is you were reassessed last year, you will see a year over year increase.
There is a calculator on the county website that helps you know what the effect on your property will be.
The rate equalization , if adopted, means that the county will derive the same amount of revenue this year from property taxes as it did last year. Hence the term equalzier....but that does not mean that it affects each of us uniformly.
My suggestion is for the council to recommend cuts in the exact amount as what the increase would bring in....
What 3:32 is saying is that a higher tax rate does not necessarily mean a higher tax bill depending on how your home was assesed. You all wanted the revenue cap, and you got it. Part of it allowed for a 2% increase in property tax revenue. You can't just expect the tax rate to keep going down. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Remember, you voted for it.
3:52, ?????? How then would you have a balanced budget??????? That is why you are blogging and not running a business where law requires a balanced budget. (oh I forgot, you all say to run the county like a business, wouldn't business try to bring in more if they can't break even?)
I am not employed by the BOE - but, know several people that are- and, while there is certainly waste, I'm sure, most people have no real idea of how much of what is done is federally mandated but not federally funded - remember the "no child left behind"?
federal and state law dictates much of what happens
I hear Rick has cooked the books alredy, again.
4:47, you are such a coward! You accuse someone of doing something illegal and qualify with "I hear.." Well, I heard you were a moron (actually worse, but cursing is not my thing.) And do learn to spell; it makes you look even more ignorant,if that is possible. Don't like the politics? Fine! Accusing someone of illegal activity, reprehensible!
Assessments go down, the rate goes up. Effect on a macro-scale is revenue neutral. When values go up, the tax cap will kick in and lower taxes. I don't see why this is such a big deal.
If you got assessed last year, build your case for a re-assessment using comps to drive your assessed value further down.
4:47pm Please explain what you mean. To make a statement like that you must know/show information to back it up. Please do so.
This is bull-poopy. You can get the detail from the table in the system. Council had the opportunity to have this information before and they chose not to take it so they could make a big deal over it and make Rick look bad.
The tax cap can't work just one way as it has been doing. What a bunch of crybabies. Of course, these pieces do get hits. Especially those "todays survey" things.
How about the local government simply spend less?
Why do they need more of our money?
If I can't pay my bills, I can't simply demand that my boss pay me more money.
Then again, our representatives don't recognize us taxpayers as "bosses" now do they?
We serve our government
6:50pm You are off target. I know a few local elected officials who think, no make that know, they are public servents. Don't paint all with the same paint brush.
6:50, They don't need "more" of your money. In case you didn't notice, the amount of property tax revenue has gone down significantly. That means that they have been using less of your money. Unfortunately, they have gotten to the poing of crisis due, in part, to the property tax revenue cap. Now, it has become a case where true leaders, realize that certain services must be provided, and in order to do that, the rate must be increased AS PRESCRIBED, by the property tax revenue cap that you probably voted for. (you voted for it, deal with it)
The revenue cap precludes increasing taxes beyond the amount that will generate an increase in revenue over the previous year of no more than two percent(2%)or the CPI, which ever is the lesser.
It seems with a .05 cent increase we are in the over six percent (6%)
range. Has anyone audited the numbers to determine if in fact his recommended increase is legal?
That would be the first step; with the second being reviewing, analyzing, and exploring ways to reduce the County budget.
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