I adddressed the Moscow city council last night.
Mayor Lambert, City Council members:
I would ask you each to vote against the 6.5% additional tax increase under debate.
I believe that Moscow residents would never have consented to raising our city property taxes 25.5% in one year. I am of the opinion that had Moscow residents known that you were planning to increase our property taxes 6.5% this year, the levy for the police building would never have passed.
Refurbishing the old police building and filling it with more city employees is only going to increase our expenses. You have the option of not refurbishing that building and selling it instead. That will offset $1.5m in remodeling from the levy, the building will probably sell for $500k, and will preclude paying the operational costs of that building (which will now be new costs to taxpayers because of the new police station). That decision alone would save the city $2m.
My point is: you have options other than raising taxes even further.
Finally, I am concerned for the elderly and those on fixed incomes who may not have the discretionary income to pay for these property tax increases. The AARP has warned its members about their being forced to sell their homes and move because of skyrocketing property assessments and taxes. Just today the news reported that a 107 year-old woman is losing her home since 1943 because of property taxes.
Winston Churchill’s said “I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”
I encourage you each to vote against the entire 6.5% increase. Tighten the belts somewhere else.
Thank you.
From William L. Spence of the Lewiston Tribune:
Proposed increases for police, parks staff prompt long discussion
MOSCOW — Proposed pay raises for Moscow police officers and seasonal parks and recreation staff prompted a lengthy discussion by the Moscow City Council on Monday.
Half the council favored the raises, which are included in the proposed fiscal 2020 budget. The other half preferred spreading the increases out over more than one year, in order to reduce the burden on Moscow property taxpayers.
After debating the issue for nearly 90 minutes, the council chose to split the baby: They approved first reading of the budget, but made it clear they want to discuss the pay raises further, before giving final approval to the document.