A budget fight is brewing in Morrisville over whether the town can pay for core services by keeping its property tax as is, at 36.65 cents per $100 in valuation. The Cary News reports that Town Manager John Whitson continues to push for a 4.2% hike, expressing frustration that the council said no at last week’s budget workshop. I don’t know the details of Morrisville’s spending plan so I can’t comment on whether there is room in it to adequately cover core services or not. Regardless, I’m glad to see this conversation taking place. It will lead to detailed discussion of what is — and isn’t — a core service at the local government level.
Whitson called the council’s fixation on the 36.65 cent rate “unfortunate.”
“It’s wanting to be the lowest tax rate in the county when there is no basis for that,” he said at the workshop. “It should be based on meeting the need. This fixation to me is costing the community.”
So exactly what is the definition of “need”? And does meeting “need” automatically mean raising the tax rate? We’re about to find out in Morrisville.
