In FY 2011, according to other data published by the State, Salisbury was in the middle of the pack, with a total tax rate of $1.578. Since then, the total rate has jumped, with the County rate being the greater – a 25% increase in that 4 year period. And, since Pollitt flatly refused to allow any relief (differential) for property in the city because of its duplicate services, those owners have been hit hard.
But these comparative data sets disprove the song that has been sung during that period by Pollitt and Ireton that they had to raise the tax rate, because of the decreasing value if the assessable tax base, in order to have more money to spend. The tax base value has also decreased in the other towns and counties, but few have increased their rates as much as here. That can be seen by looking at the towns with a total rate in excess of $1.75: four in FY 2011 (not including Salisbury) and just one more (including Salisbury) in FY 2015.
So, what’s being done to stop the bleeding in the future? Wicomico County now looks promising under Bob Culver, who is doing and proposing things that Pollitt refused to do in order to reduce spending. But, Salisbury is about to impose a new “rain” tax, sponsored by Ireton and Jake Day, and the city charter has just been amended to enable them to borrow in excess of the debt limit, which they are in the process of doing to fix the new sewage treatment plant. It looks like things will become worse, and may never get better for City property owners and other residents as well.
Culver will be stalled by the likes of Cannon, Hall and Matt Holloway. Bob can propose all he wants, but until the public makes it clear to those RINOs that we've had enough, Bob won't be able to help us.
ReplyDeleteCannon's ego is his big problem. He wants to be the boss. After seeing his behavior so far, if Cannon doesn't change, there will be lots of people who will work against him the next time he runs for office.
Thanks Bob for doing all you can to rein in the spending. Keep up the pressure on those RINOs - better yet, cut the council's funding. They don't need Creamer and an assistant and then reject the principles on which they were voted in to office. Cannon saying he is a conservative is laughable! Use the power of your budget to send the RINOs a message!
Why go forward with the rain tax when the Governor is repealing it? Its a waste of money setting it up just for Hogan to shut it down.
ReplyDeleteThis will cause the overburdened remaining taxpayers to move out of the City and probably the county too.
ReplyDeleteWonder how the bar crowd feels about their "city" now? Let all those young bar kids pay the freight as the rest of the population makes an exit.
Nobody in their right mind would relocate to Salisbury or for that matter to Wicomico County.
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS WHY I HAVE PUT MY HOMES UP FOR SALE MAYOR AND THE ASSWIPE POLIITT I HOPE YOUR HAPPY ,YOU CAN HAVE GUETTOTOWN.
ReplyDeleteCannon should NEVER be the council president he is a SLUMLORD who wants FEDARAL $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
ReplyDeleteit is the council that is the problem in Wicomico. we got rid of Pollitt only to have to deal with the lack of respect for the majority of voters from the RINO three. I respect Culver for trying, but do not respect those three for basically lying to the public about being "republicans".
ReplyDeleteKudos to Culver. The talk I hear in the community is very positive about the effort he is making.
ReplyDeleteThe city has no one with common sense. All they want to do is open bars and the clique tell each other how great they are. It is a disgrace when you consider how Salisbury operated under Paul Martin. No longer a vibrant city, but a growing ghetto with thugs running wild.
People who live in the city have no one to blame but themselves. Look at who they voted in as mayor. Joe, you can be abrasive, but you would have cleaned the city up and have it on a better path.
ReplyDeleteIf Liarton Fake Day, Shameless Shields and Pillhead Mitchell are all elected again, or even 3 of them, it's curtains for Salisbury.
ReplyDeleteMs. Ireton needs to be recalled. Her tax and spend attitude is far more worse than that of our coward king!!
ReplyDeleteFLEE - FLEE - FLEE - Is my advise to anyone that nearing retirement or looking to re-located into the Salisbury City Limits.
ReplyDeleteAnd if someone doesn't pull the reigns of spending-in on the BOE - citizens might want to consider fleeing from Wicomico. While most of the current spending projects were originated by Pollitt - he damaged our communities finances tremendously.
Good luck selling for anywhere near what your house is worth.
ReplyDeleteThe old waste water plant issue. Salisbury will be paying for years and years and years.
ReplyDeleteHey 2:24PM....I live in the city and did NOT vote for Ireton or any of the other crooks. Why are you assuming just because I live in the city I am to blame.
ReplyDeleteI am doing anything I can humanly do to sell my home in the city
ReplyDelete1:38 where do YOU live?
ReplyDeletethis is exactly what the voters knew this past November. mandate; cut taxes and regs. look at ALL ways to do this and make everyone accountable. period
ReplyDelete4:58 - property can always be sold for what it's worth. The problem in Salisbury is that the fair market value ("worth") of homes is down and still sinking due to the city's morass and soaring taxes, which will soon include a "rain tax" too. People can buy just beyond the city line and the taxes are about 50% of the total city tax burden, which can be seen by looking at the data sets with this post, and no sewer and water bill.
ReplyDeleteAnd under Pollitt the county tax rate and tax burden has increased to the point that it makes sense to live in Worcester County or Sussex County rather than here.
Net result, not as many buyers and under the law of supply and demand, the FMV is way down. As the post indicates, its a bad situation for homeowners in Salisbury.
BTW, the total tax rate is even higher in Fruitland -- because the town tax rate is higher -- than in Salisbury. Fruitland is too small to be listed in the 20 largest towns so it does not appear in those data lists.
ReplyDeleteInstead of going line by line through the budget, and making all city departments cut their budget by at least 6%, what does the maniac mayor and idiot Day do????? Oh, it's just too darn hard to do all that work, we'll just raise SOME of the city taxpayers taxes, and then will cheat them some more by using fees and changing or making up ordinances to do what we want. They are just too stupid to notice.
ReplyDeleteBuck up you two buttercups, why do you think residents are leaving? It isn't your stellar leadership. You have no leadership skills between the two of you. People are leaving because of your FAILURES to get the taxes down and stop all the stupid childish impish nonsense you come up with. Spending and borrowing money we don't have because you think it's a good idea. Face facts, everything you have come up with is a failure and you won't admit it. It's hard to look in that mirror isn't it??? Examples include but aren't limited to: your only ability to bring businesses into the city are bars, and more fast food places, wasting money on Cracker Barrel by giving them tax advantages, painting Salisbury to look like a rainbow parade gone wild, bike lanes that turn into driving lanes for vehicles, the drunk bus (locals call it) for the college children (yes, children they act like kindergarten kids so call a spade a spade), rain tax (there is a GOD and he will get you real good for that one), all manner of fees and taxes, bringing more slums here and making downtown slums the list goes on but I think normal people get the picture.
If your hanging your hat thinking that otaxie is going to take care of you, better guess again. The rest of the world just doesn't like him either.
You are both twisted people with no morale's and no ethics. Only in your own heads are you winners. The rest of Salisbury citizens have seen what you are and what you have destroyed.
If you two would cut all this stupid spending and borrowing, and cut needless things out for now, you would see a better transition and much better chances of long range success. But the two of you want your cake and want to eat it right now. You refuse to make cuts and you will pay the price.
No surprise that Cambridge is in the top ten. Becoming a ghetto there as well.
ReplyDeleteBecoming? ??? It is.
DeleteOk, what decreases tax base? Section 8 housing and people on welfare, ie, unemployment. Ok, look at the top 10 cities with the highest tax rates, and the culture of people living there. Sorry, but it is just the way it is.
ReplyDeleteListen up Wicomico County voters,
ReplyDelete(worthless) Cannon, (Rino) HOlloway, and Rino Hall, and one other worthless wonder on the council voted against the best man to lead Wicomico Recreation and Parks, John Terrell.
Bob Culver can and hopefully get this county where it needs to be.
What a great person Culver is!!!!!!!!!
Joe:
ReplyDeleteOne of the comments indicates that the City is giving special benefits to Cracker Barrel for their new restaurant at the Mall. Can you look into that, please.
Why doesn't the Daily Times tell us about this situation?
ReplyDeleteCorrect about Fruitland, I bet we are #1. Just received a notice from my mortgage bank, escrow payment is up by about $300 for this year. It is not my insurance that increased, it was the taxes!!!!!! Correct again, although I do not live in Salisbury I will never get out of my house what it cost me. We are living in a tax, retail, and industrial wasteland.
ReplyDelete5:54. That's strange, although the tax rate is high with the lower assessment on your home your taxes should have remained the same. Also the rate has not changed over the last two years so I would guess your taxes should have remained the same, not sure why your mortgage bank would increase your escrow unless your account was short at the end of the year. Also I believe they keep a hefty amount in an escrow account, one and a half times your monthly mortgage payment. You should get a better explanation from them as to why the increase.
ReplyDeleteAnother obvious or "elephant in the room" is the ever increasing section 8 renter profile that is present throughout the county. Let's be honest the presence of this segment is at a level that causes problems.
ReplyDeleteThe city cut the tow companys fees ,said we where charging to much and that they where worried about the people of Salisbury ,but its ok for them to rip the people off with more taxes,????? don't understand this ,I think the towing companys need to see a lawyer about this
ReplyDelete"Good luck selling for anywhere near what your house is worth."
ReplyDeleteYour home's 'worth' is what another will pay for it. What a lot of people are learning is that they paid a lot more for their homes than their true value.
Thanks Rick Pollitt!
ReplyDeleteWe are number 1 because all of the number 2s
ReplyDelete2:08 -- Then there are us who bought back in the day when things were pretty good -- that's before Barrie and the "Dream Team" (Mike Dunn, Comegys, Cathcart) and later Ireton, Day, Shields and Mitchell killed Salisbury and Phil Tilghman, Rick Pollitt and crew did the same for Wicomico County. We have lost all of the price appreciation since then and some or most of the initial investment in our homes.
ReplyDelete