DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, July 03, 2017
Question Of The Day
It’s Official: Salisbury Property Owners Get Hosed, Again.
Let’s look at real estate tax rates for “FY18,” which must be set at the level required to balance the budget expenditures. Here’s what happened in Wicomico County’s budget and those in its two largest municipalities. Both the County Council and the Fruitland Council managed to reduce their respective tax rates, but Salisbury’s is going up substantially. And Jake Day thinks it’s a “business friendly” place!
In Salisbury, the new tax rate is $.9832, or almost 1% per $100 of assessed value, and about 4.2% higher than last year. Apparently, the so-called businessmen on the City Council – Heath and Boda – did little or nothing to reduce the expenditures proposed by Day.
Meanwhile, the Fruitland Council reduced that Town’s tax rate by almost 1.5%, and the Wicomico County Council, by cutting expenditures proposed by County Executive Culver, reduced the County’s tax rate by almost 1.3% while restoring some of the cuts that he made for items requested by the school system.
The tax rate in Salisbury is now higher than that in Fruitland or Wicomico County, and may be the highest of any municipality in Maryland with the exception of Baltimore City, as Jake Day expands his staff with new hires, just as Rick Pollitt did when he was County Executive and hired a “public information officer” and an assistant for his assistant. Déjà vu.
Yes, Virginia, Salisbury property owners are being screwed once again. What’s amazing is that the local businesses and their Chamber of Commerce are passive about the City’s increasing expenses and tax rate, and even supportive of Day, Heath and Boda. As long as they remain in office, the City’s budget surely will continue to balloon, along with its taxes.
Trump doubles tweets about Morning Joe hosts again
Despite the outcry over his recent online attacks against Morning Joe hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, President Donald Trump has taken them to task again.
On Saturday morning he tweeted: 'Crazy Joe Scarborough and dumb as a rock Mika are not bad people, but their low rated show is dominated by their NBC bosses. Too bad!'
That came as part of a string of ranting tweets against the so-called 'fake news' - and despite the fury he'd kicked off with his earlier tweet about the hosts on Thursday.
More
On Saturday morning he tweeted: 'Crazy Joe Scarborough and dumb as a rock Mika are not bad people, but their low rated show is dominated by their NBC bosses. Too bad!'
That came as part of a string of ranting tweets against the so-called 'fake news' - and despite the fury he'd kicked off with his earlier tweet about the hosts on Thursday.
More
Name Change Links Governor’s Coordinating Office to the Small Business Community
Governor's Office of Minority Affairs is now the Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs
ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs has been renamed due to legislation passed during the 2017 session of the Maryland General Assembly. Effective immediately, the office will now be known as the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs. The name change will clarify to the public that this office works exclusively with small businesses and helps connect these businesses to a broad spectrum of programs and resources.
“’Maryland is open for business’ is not just a slogan, it defines our administration,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “Maryland’s diverse small businesses play a critical role in creating jobs and growing our state’s economy and we remain committed to creating a culture that is both business-friendly and focused on expanding opportunity for all Marylanders.”
Maryland’s 580,000 small businesses account for 50 percent of our jobs statewide. The vast majority are micro businesses, and more than 70 percent are owned by minorities and women. This unique demographic means that what’s good for small business is inherently good for minority- and women-owned businesses as well.
ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs has been renamed due to legislation passed during the 2017 session of the Maryland General Assembly. Effective immediately, the office will now be known as the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs. The name change will clarify to the public that this office works exclusively with small businesses and helps connect these businesses to a broad spectrum of programs and resources.
“’Maryland is open for business’ is not just a slogan, it defines our administration,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “Maryland’s diverse small businesses play a critical role in creating jobs and growing our state’s economy and we remain committed to creating a culture that is both business-friendly and focused on expanding opportunity for all Marylanders.”
Maryland’s 580,000 small businesses account for 50 percent of our jobs statewide. The vast majority are micro businesses, and more than 70 percent are owned by minorities and women. This unique demographic means that what’s good for small business is inherently good for minority- and women-owned businesses as well.
Cop Gets Off With Boating Violation for Handcuffing College Kid and Watching Him Drown
Nearly two years after Trooper Anthony Piercy was charged in the death of Brandon Ellingson, who drowned in the Lake of the Ozarks with his hands cuffed behind his back, the case has been closed.
Predictably, the offending officer is getting off with less than a slap on the wrist.
For handcuffing a college student, negligently casting him into a lake, and watching as he drowned, Trooper Piercy pleaded guilty to a simple boating violation.
On May 31, 2014. Trooper Piercy arrested Ellingson under suspicion of OWI and negligently placed the wrong life jacket over the handcuffed 20-year-old’s torso. Piercy then drove his patrol boat away from the scene at a high rate of speed. Ellingson was thrown from the craft when it struck a sizeable wake, the life jacket came off, and he drowned with his hands still in cuffs while Piercy callously watched on.
“He’s an evil person,” Ellingson’s father Craig told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. “The reason we decided to go to the plea deal was it was tainted down there,” in Morgan County, Missouri’s court system.
During the investigation, it was determined that Piercy did little to nothing as he watched Ellingson drown.
TEEN MISSING FROM OCEAN CITY, MD HAS BEEN LOCATED!!
Sunday, July 02, 2017
Salisbury Mayor's Magical Math: Common Core Anyone?
 |
| To read entire Letter go to end of the article or click on image go to third picture. |
By Thornton Crowe
The other week I got an interesting email where our illustrious boy wonder Mayor Jake Day was touting that property values have gone up an astounding $133K on average per home since 2016. I found this number to be quite extraordinary given the City is in a state of such disarray and so quick to unload it's $2M+ valued commercial properties for a nice $5K (see Feldman building sale) to friends. Fascinated by this idea, I did a little digging of my own, looking up property values around town (within the city limits).
From what I found on the SDAT site, property valuations were actually substantially lower than original purchase prices and holding steady (or lower) for tax assessments for most of the properties -- even those bought within the last year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)