Carrboro’s town manager is recommending a 4.9 percent hike in the property tax rate, despite revenue growth he says will come without it. That should be the lede of this Herald-Sun story, but you have to read about 2/3 into the story to find this key piece of information: (emphasis is mine)
The largest source of local revenue is property tax. Without a property tax increase, revenues would only increase by $189,754 or 1.9 percent, Stewart said. Also, local sales tax receipts are only estimated to grow by one percent, or $33,939.
Despite that, here is what the reporter and editor decided was an appropriate lede for the story:
Saying the sluggish economy will negatively affect the amount of revenue the town of Carrboro expects to take in next year, its town manager on Tuesday recommended a property tax increase of 3.23 cents per $100 property valuation for fiscal 2008-09.
