Thursday, July 21, 2016

Cathy Ward via Facebook: PSB tax referendum will be discussed again in August

Cathy Ward

"BOONE COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY SALES TAX INCREASE PROPOSAL - Excellent review but no decision at last night's board meeting, but the board will discuss this proposal to double the tax again at the finance meeting on Aug. 4. A few guests spoke and predicted an increase will never pass because our taxpayers had been promised in 1999 that this tax would end in 2018 but now it will go forever. That's because a couple years ago, under the leadership of Chair Bob Walberg, the board voted 8-4 to keep this tax going forever, even without voter approval. Board members who voted to keep it going forever said the county needs the money to meet ever increasing expenses. I proposed, and will again, that we put a different referendum on the ballot and ask taxpayers if they want this tax stopped as promised in 2018. That's the real question. Do our taxpayers want us to make cuts, increase revenue with businesses like the wind farms, or increase taxes? I'm fine with putting a referendum on the ballot to ask our taxpayers if they want to double the tax, too. Please, please let our voters decide, not just 8 of our 55,000 residents. That's what I call taxation without representation," said Boone County Board member Cathy Ward.

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