County property tax hike ought to be a last resort

Published 9:29 am Monday, May 21, 2018

County Commission and its Finance Committee have spent some long hours this past week trying to carve out a budget for the next fiscal year — one that does not require a tax increase.
Complicating the decision is that this is an election year and many of the commissioners are up for re-election. Sometimes, the rallying cry feels like playing not to lose, rather than to win.
Budget time is never an easy time as there are always more needs plus wants than money. So the question for commissioners is: What would hurt more, raising taxes or reducing spending.
Increase taxes and property owners have less money to spend. Reduce spending, and less government money would be pumped into the economy.
Carter County doesn’t have a revenue problem. Tax revenues are at record levels. Property values are up. Construction is up, and the realty market has bounced back.
Yet, it’s not enough. One alternative is to dip into the reserve bucket as some commissioners have suggested. Incredibly, even after sucking money out of reserves, the budget is still coming up short.
One of the first items to get slashed is nonprofits, which are a perfect example of how once given, it’s tough to take away. Most are legitimate, such as the county’s volunteer fire departments and the Carter County Health Department. Most nonprofits provide needed services and add value to the community and, in some cases, save the county from spending tax dollars to provide these services. Some rely on the county’s largesse to balance their budgets and obtain matching grants from elsewhere.
Education takes a large hunk of the county’s tax money. Also, to be included are law enforcement, the road department, and the various county offices — places where you buy auto tags, apply for business licenses, marriage licenses, register land purchases, offices of the courts, etc.
In the meantime, don’t ask taxpayers to allow you to raid their wallets without exhausting all other possibilities, including examining each office’s budget. For instance, one questionable purchase is a new sport utility vehicle for the County Highway Dept. at a cost of $55,000, which Supt. Roger Colbaugh admitted was not a necessity.
State law mandates that county government must perform certain services and functions, but it does not dictate to what extent. Considerable time needs to be spent in these scheduled meetings and upcoming public hearings on the budget to explore how much of reduced government taxpayers are comfortable living with. All the options and data need to be on the table so property owners and commissioners can make the best and most informed choice on how to move forward.
Meanwhile, our county is facing a cacophony of problems: an opioid epidemic that is placing strains on the county, jail and child protective services, an aging population, aging and crumbling infrastructure, outside competition for jobs and economic development and keeping up with new technology — all of which require capital. These needs at some point must be addressed, but commissioners should proceed with caution and care.
If commissioners have no recourse other than a tax hike, they need to go back to their districts — and before the August election — and explain it. However, increasing taxes on county residents ought to be a last resort.

Subscribe to our free email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox