At Tuesday's called meeting, newly anointed County Commissioner Jimmy Starline joined forces with Commissioners Zell and Keene to vote down - quite possibly for the first time in history - the Camden County BOE's request for a millage rate increase.
The request was for a meager increase of 0.25 mils. Let's put that into perspective.
Worst case scenario, i.e., for a homeowner with zero exemptions, .25 mils equates to $10.00 in annual taxation per $100,000 of APPRAISED value.
So, the owner of a $200,000 home would pay an additional $20.00 - less than the cost of a couple eating one Sunday dinner at Aunt B's.
Now, if memory serves me, in a previous T&G article, Dr. Hardin said that he increase would need to insure that our school millage rate was equal to at least 95% of the state average. Why? Because that is a requirement to get the federal impact funds.
Again, working from, memory, I think that is about $1.6 million this year.
So, in order to score political points, three commissioners may well have jeopardized the receipt of $1.6 million in order to "save" constituents $10.00 per $100,000 of appraised value.
Does that make any sense to even the most rabid of you?
Whoa, Nellie! It's worse than I thought. Go back tot he Aug. 11 edition of the T&G.
My recollection of $1.6 million turns out not to be the federal impact aid number, but the value of 1 mil in the 2010 digest.
The actual federal impact aid figure for last year was $6.4 million!!!
So, the .25 mil increase the school board is asking for would take an additional $400,000 from the pockets of some 50,000 Camdenians.
To save $400,000, three commissioners are willing to give up $6.4 million in federal aid.
So, to save one dollar, they would gladly give upsixteenr for a net loss of $15.00 for every $1.00 "saved."
Yes, the defenses for this one should be really interesting. Have at it!
Friday, September 3, 2010
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1 comment:
I might just be with Jay on this one. When you talk about the cost of a meal at Auntie's, it is pretty easy to comprehend. Who ain't ate there?
If the data you provide are accurate, a reasonable person, even a fiscal conservative or one who approaches government with real caution, might just have to say, "Huh?" Apart from looking at the agenda for a commissioners meeting, which by the way, is nothing more than a list of things they already agree on in principle - that is, they know how they will vote on an issue like this, who are you kidding - when is something like this communicated in advance so there can be real discussion? Would never have thought such a major financial decision be made in the "dark of night" as it were. Would not the school board, the superintendent publish their position in advance? To put it mildly, "this sips" (for those from Waverly - that is a euphemism for "sucks")for our school board and our school system! Now don't go talkin about this over at the COW blog! I will tell them to go here!
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