Jeff A. Taylor and John Hood this week continued rebutting arguments
made by supporters of a tax increase in Charlotte, where the city
manager’s budget proposal includes a 9 percent property tax hike over
two years. Both spoke at a packed public hearing, and Taylor’s comments
and recommended budget cuts made their way into the Charlotte Observer
story. “There’s all kinds of goodies throughout this budget that go
beyond what would be a core services budget,” he said.  WCNC, the
NBC affiliate, led its story with “tax watchdog John Hood,” who named
the many cities with lower tax burdens than Charlotte.