Wednesday, February 21, 2001
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Wednesday, February 21, 2001 |
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Mayor Lenox right about city-county tax inequity My fellow Peachtree City citizens, you know we've all been on the opposite side of the issue with our Mayor Bob Lenox (myself included). However, here's one time when I think we ought to be equal opportunity complainers where the Mayor is concerned. Now you should know that I've never liked taxes ever since I learned about that Boston Tea Party in school. Being the fiscal conservatives that we are here in Fayette County, I think it may be time for us to heed the Mayor's (this time) cry and mount up against the evil of taxation without representation. We all will have to agree that HB 489 is on the right track. On the one hand, we have a distinguished outside third party consultant to conclude that Fayette County takes in more taxes from cities than services they provide. On the other hand our government leadership can't agree with that conclusion. Here's a suggestion: can't we get some non-biased third party from, say, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to facilitate or help us settle the dispute? Why all this forced mediation? Why all this animosity? "Can't we all just get along?" More specifically, the tax equity issue and the housing of the cities prisoners are of immediate concern to me. From the information I have been able to gather, it would appear to me that the numbers don't add up. For example, from a bookkeeping and accounting standpoint, the numbers should balance out on both sides (seeing as how math is supposed to be an exact science), and they just don't do that. Likewise, as to the jail issue, it would seem that if most of the building permits are issued in the cities (rather than in the county), then if follows that the money for the greater percentage of the jail construction would not come from the county. This is just my simplistic view of things. Being a city-slicker, I got a problem with that. You know I've been involved in government service in one way or another for most of my professional career. Even I know that no rootin'-tootin' government official can edict the "final answer." So whether the county commissioners like it or not, if enough of their constituents get together and demand that they revisit the issue, I bet-ya-by-golly, they will just about have to. I hope that this newspaper decides to take another opinion poll from the people of Fayette County to see how the people feel on the tax equity issue. To be fair, however, I must say that Commissioner Herb Frady (the city feller's commissioner) has been the only one to appear to be open-minded on the subject, in my opinion. To Commissioner Bost: I hope that you do ask the people to do away with the local option sales tax. Just try me. Mr. Mayor, I got your message and would be honored to join with you in the call for the Fayette County commissioners to revisit the issue of tax equity. One thing I think we can all say about you is that you know how to win a battle. I feel that with your tenacity and business acumen united with the people behind you that we can "win one for the Gipper." So I, as one individual, would be willing to sign whatever petition is necessary, or attend whatever meeting is needed, to convince our fellow county commissioners of the need to revisit the issue of tax equity. I can't think of a better white horse for our Mayor to ride out on than winning the battle over the taxation villain who is against the little man (as he heads off into the sunset). Please count me in your camp. James Melvin Ewing Peachtree City
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