April 23, 2008

Click here to view and here to listen to Michael Sanera discussing this Regional Brief.

RALEIGH – Hertford County commissioners could avoid a proposed sales tax increase for 11 years by diverting $6.2 million in existing revenue streams to high-priority county government functions. That’s a key finding in a new John Locke Foundation Regional Brief.

“The savings and revenue reallocation recommended in this Regional Brief would generate more than 11 times the amount of money the sales tax increase would provide to Hertford County,” said Dr. Michael Sanera, JLF Research Director and Local Government Analyst. “That means the county could adopt the ideas in this report and delay a sales-tax increase for 11 years.”

County commissioners are asking voters to approve a quarter-cent increase in the sales tax May 6. “Voters already have rejected the idea of higher taxes,” Sanera added. “A whopping majority — 61 percent — voted against a sales-tax increase in November. It’s unfortunate that there’s no limit to the number of times county commissioners can place this tax increase on the ballot or the amount of tax money the commission can spend on ‘education’ campaigns promoting the tax increase.”

Hertford is one of more than 20 counties asking taxpayers this May for the right to raise local sales or real-estate transfer taxes. Sanera leads a JLF research team analyzing the potential impact in each county. Working with Sanera are Joseph Coletti, JLF Fiscal Policy Analyst, and Terry Stoops, JLF Education Policy Analyst.

Hertford County commissioners cannot argue that local schools are underfunded, Sanera said. “Over the last five years, the school population has decreased by 9 percent, while inflation-adjusted local school spending has increased by 3 percent,” he said. “That’s not to mention the inflation-adjusted 16 percent increase in state spending and the 1 percent increase in federal spending.”

“If the school district has facility needs, county commissioners and the school board need to show taxpayers how they would spend the $2.1 million the state has promised for capital improvements over the next 10 years,” Sanera added. “Commissioners should also follow this report’s recommendations for reducing education costs without hurting classroom instruction.”

Hertford County revenues have grown 15 percent faster than the combined rate of inflation and population growth since the 2001 budget year, Sanera said. “Hertford raised $2.4 million more from its taxpayers in the 2006 budget year than in 2001,” he said. “The average family of four paid $412 more in taxes in 2006 than in 2001. A family’s income would have been forced to jump by 30 percent to meet the increase in county government revenues during the past five years.”

Hertford County government doesn’t need to take additional money away from taxpayers, Sanera said. “If Hertford County adjusted its revenue stream to grow only as fast as the combined rate of population and inflation growth, total revenues would increase 25.1 percent during the next 10 years,” he said. “This increase is more than adequate to pay for county needs.”

County commissioners have easy access to one piece of Hertford County’s $6.2 million in funds available for high-priority government functions, Sanera said. “Hertford County government already has cash reserves equal to 17.6 percent of the county’s annual budget,” he said. “The state requires an 8 percent reserve for emergencies, but that leaves almost $2.2 million that’s still available to spend on pressing needs.”

“That excess in cash reserves represents more than four times the $540,000 per year expected from the proposed sales tax,” Sanera added. “In other words, the county could turn to its cash reserves for the next four years before seeking new sales-tax revenue. This item alone should convince skeptics that the county does not need to increase the sales tax.”

In 2007, the General Assembly gave every county a chance to raise either the local sales tax or the real-estate transfer tax. The new tax options were part of a deal involving the state relieving counties of local Medicaid expenses. The deal also called on counties to forfeit a half cent of the local sales tax rate.

“Even though Hertford and other counties were forced to give up some revenue as part of the Medicaid deal, they now benefit from another part of the deal called the ‘hold harmless’ provision,” Sanera said. “It guarantees that Hertford County will have at least $500,000 in additional funds that can be used to meet other county needs. Hertford actually fares better than many counties, with $1.1 million promised in the first year and $21 million expected over 10 years.”

Counties cannot raise the sales or real-estate transfer taxes without a local referendum. Twenty-eight counties have pursued that option since November 2007. Five counties placed both options on the ballot in November. Voters rejected each real-estate transfer tax hike. They also rejected most sales tax proposals, including the first Hertford County proposal. In all, voters have rejected 27 of 33 proposed local tax increases.

“The May 6 vote provides another opportunity for Hertford County citizens to be heard,” Sanera said. “Citizens, when given the chance, are rejecting tax increases.”

The John Locke Foundation’s Regional Brief “Does Hertford Need a Sales-Tax Increase?” is available at the JLF Web site. For more information, please contact Sanera at (919) 828-3876 or [email protected]. To arrange an interview, contact Mitch Kokai at (919) 306-8736 or [email protected].