Monday, February 27, 2012
Montgomery County residents split over tax increase at meeting
CHRISTIANSBURG — Montgomery County residents again turned out Monday to speak for and against the school funding that is at the center of what seems likely to become a record tax increase.
“It’s out of hand and unsustainable,” said Blacksburg resident Bill Murray, calling a school budget proposal given to supervisors earlier this month “ridiculous.”
“What this community needs is decent support for education,” countered Harlan Miller, also of Blacksburg. He urged supervisors to do all they could for the school system “and maybe 5 [percent] or 10 percent more.”
Unlike meetings earlier this month where members of the New River Valley Tea Party and others urging spending restraint outnumbered supporters of the school budget, speakers at Monday’s meeting were about evenly split. Eight of 17 people who stood during the public address section of a board of supervisors meeting voiced support for some type of tax increase.
Another did not indicate where she stood on taxes, saying only that others had already covered everything she planned to say.
The other eight speakers variously blasted the school board, school officials, teachers and school construction projects for running up county expenses.
Supervisors plan to next take up budget matters at a work session Thursday, and to take most of March to assemble an overall spending plan from an array of requests. At meetings earlier this month, supervisors learned they would need to raise the real estate tax rate 24 cents from its present rate of 75 cents per $100 value — or somehow find equivalent revenue — to meet all the requests.
Such a tax rate jump would be higher than any that county officials can recall, and triple the 8-cent annual increase that was the largest of the past dozen years.
Montgomery County tax discussions typically attract a handful of speakers, but this year has seen a much more vigorous outpouring of opinion.
Besides the tea party, members of the Occupy movement have attended prior meetings and called for greater support for schools.
On Monday, as at earlier meetings, speakers focused on the school budget that is the largest portion of county spending. Supervisors have long discussed the likelihood of a 10-cent raise in the real estate tax rate to support the new debt from ongoing construction of two high schools and renovation of a middle school.
Declines in state and federal support have left the school system with an $8.5 million hole in its operating budget, which would require about 12 cents more in the tax rate increase to plug.
Jack Selcovitz of Pilot called it “despotic” to impose what he termed “confiscatory rates.”
“You have awakened a sleeping giant. … The taxpayers are here and we are irate,” he said to applause.
Tom Piccariello of Blacksburg told supervisors they should find savings by reducing the tax incentives given to corporations rather than cutting support for the schools.
“I don’t like the fact that teachers are being hounded for their salaries. I think that’s inappropriate,” he said.
“It’s out of hand and unsustainable,” said Blacksburg resident Bill Murray, calling a school budget proposal given to supervisors earlier this month “ridiculous.”
“What this community needs is decent support for education,” countered Harlan Miller, also of Blacksburg. He urged supervisors to do all they could for the school system “and maybe 5 [percent] or 10 percent more.”
Unlike meetings earlier this month where members of the New River Valley Tea Party and others urging spending restraint outnumbered supporters of the school budget, speakers at Monday’s meeting were about evenly split. Eight of 17 people who stood during the public address section of a board of supervisors meeting voiced support for some type of tax increase.
Another did not indicate where she stood on taxes, saying only that others had already covered everything she planned to say.
The other eight speakers variously blasted the school board, school officials, teachers and school construction projects for running up county expenses.
Supervisors plan to next take up budget matters at a work session Thursday, and to take most of March to assemble an overall spending plan from an array of requests. At meetings earlier this month, supervisors learned they would need to raise the real estate tax rate 24 cents from its present rate of 75 cents per $100 value — or somehow find equivalent revenue — to meet all the requests.
Such a tax rate jump would be higher than any that county officials can recall, and triple the 8-cent annual increase that was the largest of the past dozen years.
Montgomery County tax discussions typically attract a handful of speakers, but this year has seen a much more vigorous outpouring of opinion.
Besides the tea party, members of the Occupy movement have attended prior meetings and called for greater support for schools.
On Monday, as at earlier meetings, speakers focused on the school budget that is the largest portion of county spending. Supervisors have long discussed the likelihood of a 10-cent raise in the real estate tax rate to support the new debt from ongoing construction of two high schools and renovation of a middle school.
Declines in state and federal support have left the school system with an $8.5 million hole in its operating budget, which would require about 12 cents more in the tax rate increase to plug.
Jack Selcovitz of Pilot called it “despotic” to impose what he termed “confiscatory rates.”
“You have awakened a sleeping giant. … The taxpayers are here and we are irate,” he said to applause.
Tom Piccariello of Blacksburg told supervisors they should find savings by reducing the tax incentives given to corporations rather than cutting support for the schools.
“I don’t like the fact that teachers are being hounded for their salaries. I think that’s inappropriate,” he said.
