Pollitt on Tax Hike – “It’s Just No Fair”

No, that’s not Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt’s view about hiking the Wicomico property tax rate by 5 cents; it’s his view of having his property taxes in Ocean City go up.

On September 2, 2007 the Daily Times ran a very sympathetic article (I’m so surprised) regarding a tax hike on the Pollitt family beach house. While quoting numerous members of the Pollitt clan, Rick’s response was:

”It’s just no fair”. …

I realize that Pollitt would argue that this is apples and oranges. In one sense it is. Pollitt claims that his proposed hike would only hit the average Wicomico taxpayer for the cost of “a dinner out”. Maybe, but what about those taxpayers who can’t afford that dinner out?

The Wicomico council has worked diligently to spare taxpayers that rate hike. Tomorrow, we’ll know for sure whether they have been successful. I empathize with Pollitt’s desire not to “oversee the dismantling of the Wicomico County government”. We need government, but less of it. We need core services; but we need those services delivered efficiently and in a cost effective manner. It’s in limiting government and providing those services in a cost effective manner where Pollitt has failed.

My advice to Pollitt is simple:

Restructure the county government; as you promised. Do so, keeping in mind that we are operating under a new paradigm.

Quit worrying about “getting out and about”, at least for now. You speny three years trying to sell the repeal of the revenue cap. You spent a year running for re-election. You’ve now spent most of the first few months of a second tem trying to sell a rate hike. Seems like you’ve been “out and about” quite enough for a while. If you feel the need to meet with the public, show up at a council meeting. We know that you watch the meetings on TV; just walk down the hall and turn left.

Start acting less like a bureaucrat and more like a businessman. If your employees can’t show up to work on time – replace them. If you have positions that are redundant – eliminate them. If you can afford to furlough employees it seems that you may have more people on the county payroll than you really need. Yes, I know that government isn’t a business. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn a few things from the private sector.

The next time Pollitt proposes a tax increase, perhaps he will remember how he felt when it was done to him.

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