Wednesday, July 30, 2003

I think I've finally heard it all.

At last week's [Peachtree City Council] budget hearing, which was sparsely attended by the public and therefore the reason I am writing this, there was considerable discussion about how best to balance the budget. Budget hearings are rather boring, but you have to hear the line that came from Mayor Brown's lips several times.

Staff has proposed an increase of 1 mill in your property taxes, an increase of over 20 percent. I had asked staff to prepare an analysis of what it would take to have a zero percent increase in the millage rate, a commitment I made several months ago.

Well, there were all sorts of cuts and delays in projects put forward, some of which were politically sensitive, of course, but I still maintain that it is a reachable goal, and I will work hard to offer a plan that will NOT increase the millage rate.

In words that would make the likes of Ted Kennedy, Jesse Jackson, and Cynthia McKinney proud, Mr. Brown kept referring to the need for "revenue corrections" in the budget planning process. Finally, not being able to take it any more, I asked the mayor to please stop referring to tax increases as "revenue corrections." Mr. Brown seemingly could not bear to speak of "expenditure corrections" (which is what we need) but he sure had no problem with "revenue corrections."

I think it was Abe Lincoln that said you could fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. Whoever said it was right.

Maybe it's just me, but I thought we lived in a fiscally conservative Republican community. Mr. Brown might want to trumpet his "revenue corrections" philosophy in his next mayoral run.

If he runs for mayor of Berkeley, Calif., he just might win.

Dan Tennant

Peachtree City

DanTennant@aol.com