A Viewer Writes: Max Tax Rate

I am sending you excerpts from Salisbury council meetings regarding, oh yes, not only real property tax increase but the change of city ordinance to cap levels of increase. In other words, the Mayor and Council have already increased water and sewer rates to ridiculous amounts and now here we go with property tax rates. Tax and Spend is alive and well in our fair? Community. I sent this to all council members before the Monday Meeting.

It seems to me that the max tax rate was a great idea – made for just for this particular moment in time.

Tax and spend has NEVER been more evident than during this regime and it seems nothing can slow it, much less stop it.

I have questioned the cost benefit of many of the expensive programs that seem more like fantasy than useful contributions to the economic and social life of Salisbury. I certainly hope that this type of governmental management is not based more on “self” than “citizenry”.

Without even mentioning the fact that we are in an economic holocaust and fatal change in economic social norms, it seems to be bike paths, homeless appointments in Baltimore, homelessness on the streets, trash bombs, general litter, gigantic sewer and water bill increases, downtown revitalization, tax payer funded small business loans, crime and raises for all. Damn the torpedoes, we have The Folk Festival (Maybe).

If you give the Mayor and his minions the ability to tax without restraint it’s the beginning of Venezuela 2.

Remember: Downtown has multiple small businesses which will very likely have a high bankruptcy rate.

( Those that were, in part or totally, funded by tax payer dollars will default on city loans )

Perhaps you read this headline:

U.S. unemployment rate jumps to 14.7%, worst since Great Depression A record 20.5 million Americans lost jobs in April, according to an unemployment report released by the Labor Department Friday.

https://1drv.ms/w/s!AiuytBZdCVgrmG0aOAjJAo6tlmWL?e=bcLEm5
Living in Salisbury, MD – 25.1 % poverty rate

https://1drv.ms/w/s!AiuytBZdCVgrmHA_SGKqjMR-XGAC?e=Rep8bz
City of Salisbury – Water and Sewer – 2020 Budget

https://1drv.ms/b/s!AiuytBZdCVgrmGybNT3gvVZRfGcQ?e=boBRMQ

Unknowns BUT more likely than NOT> 1. At least a year for a successful vaccine. 2. Social Distancing is here to stay in one form or another. That means decreased production capacity, eat in seating capacity for bars and restaurants.

3. Employment crawl back may never reach prior levels due to reduced capacity and fewer employees needed. Work at home may surge requiring less business real estate. 4. Frankly, for years we have not needed multi-million college buildings, or even college rentals when staying home or just somewhere else that’s cheaper. (ZOOM) 5. When incomes fall, from manufacturing, the only true revenue source that increases a nations wealth, contributions from the recycling of government payrolls are tax rebates not outside productive taxable income.

I could go on, but my point is let’s keep the streets clean and repaired, police service that are allowed to fight crime and nuisance, EMS and fire protection. Water, Sewer and Garbage are way to high and you not only want to continually raise them for reasons I cannot detect, but increase real property rates. When will it stop? Where is Robin Hood when you need him to fight Prince John? Come on council be Salisbury’s Robin Hoods.