Dozens of area residents, many of them teachers, shared their thoughts on the county’s proposed FY 2016 budget during the lengthy hearing at Snow Hill Middle School May 5. The budget, which the commissioners need to finalize by early June, is not yet balanced and features a $22 million shortfall. The 15-cent property tax increase it would take to fully fund the budget drew criticism from several citizens, many of them seniors.
“If my taxes increase by 15 cents that’s going to put a lot of pressure on me, an individual in a situation with a fixed income,” Ocean Pines resident Jack Collins said. “I’m no longer productive. I do the best I can. Every time there’s an increase it squeezes a little bit more.”
Ocean City retiree John Adkins, 68, said that between his tax bill, homeowner’s insurance and flood insurance he spent more than $7,000 a year.More
6 comments:
I thought the casino money was for the children,no tax increase needed.
That is an easy fix for John - drop flood/homeowner's insurance.
8.46 it is for the children of baltimore city . 40% of the profits go there thanks to omalley.
"Brian Garrett, parent of a Worcester County student, said he was willing to accept a tax increase if it meant teachers and the school system would receive the financial support needed to provide students with a world class education.
“I’d like to invest in the future of my kid and the future of every kid in Worcester County,” he said."
Hey Brian Worcester County already has one of the best school systems in the Maryland if not the country.
"Teacher Dawn Stutzel said 48 percent of the county’s teachers would earn more if they went to Wicomico or Somerset counties. She said she was making $11,000 less than she should be making based on her years in the classroom."
So Dawn go ahead and switch to those counties. Isn't it funny how Wicomico teachers say they can get more money in Worcester and Somerset, yet Somerset and Worcester teachers always say they can get more in Wicomico. I say fire them all and hire some teachers that are happy to have a job and teach children. Then those teachers who are complaining about the pay can go back into the job market and really have something to complain about(how hard jobs are to find). The fact that the local piggyback tax in Worcester is substantially lower than Wicomico makes the money they earn worth more. Let them(the complaining teachers) move to Bmore and see how they like it there.
I for one am sick of hearing teachers, police, firefighters, et.al, complain about how they can earn more money some place else. If that is the way you feel than move. Someone just as good if not better then you is out there waiting to take your spot.
Almost everybody is more or less on a "fixed income".
The school system like local,state and federal goverment has become a big burden to taxpayers.It is one money eating machine.Worcester in my opie is better off than wicomico in 2 ways.One they have ocean citys taxbase to help with the burden and also they do not have to support the many more high paying jobs a executive form of goverment institutes.In wicomico with the manufacturing jobs gone never to return i predict within the next 3 years your local govt jobs will be slashed up towards 30%.There will just not be enough money to fund all the people and services we have today.
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