Wanted: Fairness and balance to tax-rate coverage

One of those Funny How Things Work moments came to my attention this morning. Tonight comes the second public hearing on the city tax rate, in effect, anyway, with the scheduled public hearing on tonight’s meeting agenda to “receive public comments on the proposed Real Property Tax Rate due to the reassessment.”

Last time around, you might remember, we had four folks step forward to offer their strong thoughts on having the city drop the rate from 70 cents to 67 cents in accord with what Vice Mayor Frank Lucente has been proposing to that end who, as it turns out, aren’t all exactly going to be suffering from the tax increases they said would be in the offing were the rate not to be cut.

We’ve also seen a half-hearted effort initiated by a guy calling himself the Waynesboro Taxpayers Alliance who is himself already getting a tax break due to a decrease in his property reassessment and is asking for more in the guise of tax equalization.

We can rest assured that the Forces of No in Waynesboro are going to have the usual suspects out for tonight’s meeting, which is of course on the local government-access cable channel live and on repeats three times a day for the next two weeks.

It might not hurt to have a couple of Waynesboro taxpayers who support keeping the budget the way it is now sign up to speak to that effect. Hint, hint.

 

- Column by Chris Graham

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