As in Raleigh, the spending is going full blast at the Mecklenburg County commission. Taxpayers will see a 2 cent property tax hike as a result.
Commissioner Bill James (R) notes that taxpayers have now been hit twice to replenish the same PAYGO fund. That fund was established in 2005 as part of the 8 cent property hike then passed. The idea was to save the county interest payments on capital projects.
But in 2006, the commission promptly raided it for some election-year pork. Now, with 2007 here it is safe to go ahead and raise taxes again and refill the misnamed PAYGO fund. That way it can be raided in 2008. Repeat.
Republicans on the commission did manage to whack $3 million out of the PIGGO fund and convince the majority to apply $9 million in NC Education Lotto funds to CMS debt service. But a proposal to cut CMS’ operating increase from $25 million to $13 million was shot down as was a bid to deny PIGGO some $19 million in future pork.
James says that had those changes been made to the budget, no tax increase at all would have been needed.
Update: For a time this AM, the Uptown paper of record had us all living in “Mecklenbury.” How true. So true.
