The Joplin City Council is expected to approve a tax increase proposal to raise salaries for the police and fire departments when it meets in special session 12 noon Friday at City Hall.
A proposal to increase taxes by up to $1 per $100 assessed valuation will go on the August 2 ballot if approved by the council.
The ordinance calling for the election can be found at this link.
6 comments:
Once again - property owners and people with personal property are going to be asked to fund another item. Property owners were asked to fund the Memorial Hall renovation (failed) and were going to be asked to fund "Operation Launchpad" - the old library building - but is not longer being considered (when Toby Teeter - Joplin Chamber of Conference left).
As you can see - hitting up property owners is the new "cash cow".
The city manager (Nick Edwards was asked if any other funding items were being considered - and he said NO).
Some of the funding items mentioned at the City Council meeting were:
x Using money from the Use Tax
x Asking for a Fire District Tax
x Take some money from the General Fund
x Request a "legislature change" that would permit Joplin to increase the Public Sales Tax more than the existing 1/2 cent
x Reallocation of the existing Public Safety Tax
For a house valued at $150,000 the annual property tax increase would be $285 and $30,000 personal property the increase would be $100 annually.
Some of the City Council members did not think this increase would pass - but still decided to put it on the August 2nd ballot.
With skyrocketing inflation - the aforementioned other funding mechanisms should be considered - before asking property owners to PONY UP.
I would be fine with this, if only the landed were allowed to vote. Imagine how much better shape our nation would be in.
I own property. You don't speak for me. I see a lot of "Back the Blue" signs and flags around town. It's easy to put up a sign. It costs nothing and takes no effort. Opening your wallet does. Those who talk the talk are being asked to walk the walk. They won't. The "no" vote will show their support for police is a mile wide and an inch deep.
The city manager (Nick Edwards was asked if any other funding items were being considered - and he said NO).
This is an old shakedown/protection racket. Spend lots of money on the over a thousand city programs all of which are vital according to a city council member a few years ago while starving public safety to the point people don't feel safe, are not as safe as they used to be or in the 1970s when I was growing up in Joplin, and use that an excuse to demand more money.
Along with tricks like claiming the public safety sales tax would not be used for the pension program, then using more than a million from it for that right after pocketing am budgetedun windfall from a legal settlement on utility taxes. Pretty sure that and all the examples of poorly using money Randy has documents has made it less likely we'll vote for new taxes.
But without the local media hammering on this scam, we really have no choice but to pay more to maybe get an adequately staffed police force. Because this game is not going to stop with just one tax, as it didn't after the public safety sales tax.
I would be fine with this, if only the landed were allowed to vote.
Unfortunately renters don't realize property taxes assessed on their landlord are passed through to them.
In case we had any doubts about the good will of our city leaders, they just were forced to change the ballot language for the new tax from it being for "general municipal purposes" to "municipal public safety purposes." They didn't even think they had to claim to earmark it, and now the language is still very broad, could be used for street lighting (where I note previous promises were broken) as well as fully staffing the police department.
Can we not figure a way for the criminals to pay? I think that would be a great idea, the criminals paying for higher wages for our police and fire! Why can’t all drug money be used, seize there vehicles homes, etc make Joplin a town where no criminals want to do business or get caught. Instead of a slap on the wrist hit them where it hurts the wallet.
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