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Thursday, April 11, 2019

Berlin Council, Citizens Continue Heated Tax Hike Talks

BERLIN – Residents continue to plead for an incremental tax increase rather than the 29% jump proposed by Berlin’s mayor.

At Monday’s meeting of the Berlin Town Council, dozens of residents urged elected officials to reconsider the 29% tax increase proposed by Mayor Gee Williams at last week’s budget work session. The suggested increase would raise the tax bill on a $300,000 home by $600.

“You can’t do this all at once,” resident Marie Velong said. “It’s unconscionable. You only have working people here. We didn’t get a $600 raise this year.”

At a work session last week, Williams suggested a 29% tax increase as well as water, sewer and stormwater rate increases. While the rate increases will end the utility funds’ practice of borrowing from the general fund, the tax increase is expected to gradually restore the funding depleted by the three utility funds during the past four years.

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13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Extortion is the local mayor Williams and days game. They rape the working class people to entertain a small group of citizens

Anonymous said...

CUT FUNDING FROM THE BERLIN "VOLUNTEER" FIRE COMPANY. One way to save money would be to have a county run EMS system. It would provide competent employees who would have to answer only to a government entity. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are provided to volunteer fire companies to pay for employees. There is no oversight on where the money goes, how it is spent or if quality/qualified individuals are hired. And the "employees" have no recourse in employment disputes. They are beholden to the fire companies and can be fired on a whim. And look at the problems Berlin had with a previous ems provider that sued. What did that cost the BFD?

Anonymous said...

Taxing the middle class out who is on the board AOC ?.

Anonymous said...

I just finished reading the full article.
Totally outrageous and unjustified!
The property owners have a right to be angry!

Like Salisbury and Wicomico, I see a mass exodus of people
getting the hell out of Berlin and Maryland for Lower tax states.

There comes a point where people can no longer pay for these tax increases. Especially if you live on a fixed income. Property taxes hurt the worst because you pay these out of your net or take home income. There was a year when I was unemployed that I had to borrow against my 401 K to my yearly property taxes. I think you will start to see more and more of this not only from Berlin, but from other communities as incomes are either stagnant or on a fixed income.

Anonymous said...

80 percent is grant funded.

Anonymous said...

Governments are the ruination of mankind . Government began the day some son of a bitch discovered he could sit on his ass and collect the benefit of another mans work! Governments forget that they are the servant of the people not vice versa!So far ours has been the best thanks to the wisdom of our Founding Fathers but its is rapidly deteriorating . Thank God for president Trump or we would be Venezuela now! Residents of Berlin need a tea party!

Anonymous said...

Hey Berlin you want to be a RICH TOWN ???? WELCOME.

Anonymous said...

Democrat leaders not pro business so citizens have to pay.

Anonymous said...

Pleading for an incremental is still asking them to give you a tax INCREASE you idiots! Wake up! March on Town Hall and remove them ALL!

Anonymous said...


Gee, I wonder who was mayor when the money was overspent?

Anonymous said...

Keep voting them in!!!!

Anonymous said...

Cut funding to the fire co.really?they Havnt provided adequate funding in over 5yrs.county run ems system?sounds good until you have to wait for an ambulance to come to Berlin from snow hill.get a grip!

Anonymous said...

09:30, you are clueless in your suggestions of the Berlin Fire Company and the other fire companies in the county. Until you understand the funding formula's and how the funding actually works I would suggest not making an insinuating comment.