I found it puzzling how Sandy Carmany's program for the extra police officers got into the proposed city budget in the manner it did. It did not seem like much consideration was given regarding ways to keep the already-increased tax rate at the 4.75 cent increase, instead of the 5.5 cent rate resulting from the inclusion of Sandy's program.
According to the N&R website, it looks like one of the other council members has taken some initiative to hold the line on an already unpleasant increase.
Side note regarding taxes:
Remember a few years ago when Tax Hike Mike kept a bit of money that should have gone back to the locals to help out with the budget crisis?
Remember what happened to local taxes when that happened?
Do you also remember that there were some bucks left over at the state level this year?
Have you read anything about the state plans to send some of that surplus back to us, the locals?
Really?
Imagine that!
Update: 6/27 2:17 PM
It looks like Ms. Groat was persuasive.
Good work!
Puzzling because it was a scam. The members of the council that voted against the last-minute amended budget were surprised, but not puzzled. Carmany is the wife of a retired police officer and the mother of a police officer. They weren't voting against the tax increase or the police officers. They were voting against the way they were scamed.
ReplyDeleteSandra Anderson Groat admitted at the meeting that she wasn't prepared on the police issue because it was taken off the table early in discussions. So, she decided to make the deciding vote for it? I think her memo is a shot at redemption for being taken advantage of.
Who would have thought that a staunch advocate of GTA, Chair of the Transportation Advisory Committee and Chair of the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) would care so much for getting the police amendment AFTER they got the GTA tax increase. Sandy played the wild card on this one, the issue the public wouldn't say no to. Kudos to the council members that had the fortitude to vote no.
"I think her memo is a shot at redemption for being taken advantage of."
ReplyDeleteWhatever the circumstances, she's doing the right thing. Whether it succeeds or not, I applaud her effort. It would have been easy to do nothing at all about it.
The vote to hire the additional police officers was one of the few things in this budget that was responsible. Go to the city's and county's web sites and note all the money budgeted for well off companies/individuals and so called "pet projects' that are areas the city and county have no business being in in the first place. Both local governing bodies need a reality boot in the backside! Bryan Park almost $900,000 then an additional almost $300,000 for the golf course alone. Could they not raise the greens fees? I resent having my money spent this way. At $23 per trip how many trips would that money for the golf course buy for the handicapped who rely on SCAT? I could go on with many more better uses for that money but you know what they are as well as I. But then again prehaps you are one of those on the recieving end and resent any funds being spent on items for ALL the people and not just a privileged few. BB
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right, Brenda.
ReplyDeleteI get a feeling there are many other things that the citizens of Greensboro could have done without to avoid a tax increase.
We need to be much smarter on how we spend our money.
You're right BB, but you know what? $23 doesn't equal one SCAT trip. The cost is $30-35 per ride.
ReplyDelete