Ding ding ding!
Mecklenburg County commissioner Dan Murrey lets the truth slip out. The current majority on the commission wants to grow local government to the greatest extent possible, given finite resources. The problem is that for Murrey and company what they thought would be an ever-growing chunk of county revenue is in fact shrinking. What to do?
First, make big showy “Washington monument” cuts like closing public libraries. Then keep quiet while the on-going property reval process provides the opportunity for a Stealth Tax Hike next year, which is not an election year. Finally, reserve the right to hit taxpayers with either an additional quarter-cent in sales tax or an out-right property tax rate increase.
You’ll note that none of these elements include right-sizing government or actually shrinking the bloated public sector to reflect new economic realities. Let’s see if a couple more months of double-digit unemployment changes that unsustainable world-view.
