How about those Chapel Hill Officials? Progressive Leadership needed for Orange County!
Great work by the citizens of Chapel Hill - forcing their mayor and town council to recind plans to grant themselves long term health benefits. What were they thinking? Property taxes are going up and citizens in NC buy their own health insurance. Why do our elected officials think we want to buy their insurance too? An embarassing moment for these officials and those of us that voted for them.
Orange County citizens handily voted down the land transfer tax - which was professed to go to schools and parks. That should have sent a message that we are expecting fiscal responsibility from all our local leaders. Given this latest action by Chapel Hill's elected officials, it doesn't seem like they got the message.
Maybe its time for new leadership in Orange County. The entrenched leaders seem to have lost their bearings. Aren't they supposed to serve the citizens?
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Money
Realtors spent twice as much per registered voter to defeat the transfer tax in Orange county as they did in other counties and it shows. The needs still remain and realtors have no answer except to say cut the very services that provide the quality of life that attracts homebuyers and grows equity.
Chapel Hill
Residents of Chapel Hill are among the highest taxed in the state.
The Orange County manager is proposing a $1.04 tax rate
Chapel Hill has a $.581 rate
There is also a seperate school district tax
One would think the higher than average education level in Chapel Hill would help residents avoid being tricked by the lying Realtor lobby.
Greed trumps intelligence
far too often.
Could you elaborate?
James,
Could you elaborate? Are you labeling people's dislike of the transfer tax "greed"? Or is there some other meaning here?
Thanks,
ge
P.S. As you know, I supported the transfer tax and am disgusted by the realtors' associations.
Besta é tu se você não viver nesse mundo
http://george.entenman.name
lets get real
Its unfortunate that people believe that the realtors -not informed citizens defeated the transfer tax. The BOCC had the option to impose a small sales tax increase, assumed it would be "regressive" and didn't offer it on the ballot (the sales tax would be paid by visitors, students, renters, everyone - not just property owners). When I did the math, a person/family making $50,000 a year and renting, would pay about $25 more in taxes. Rent/mortgage, food, insurance, medicines and many other necessities are not taxed. Plus, if levied, the transfer tax would have been wholly inadequate to cover the financial needs of the county - so property taxes were going up anyway. (oh yeah -- they didn't tell you that)
But we voted it down handily (2 to 1). So when the Chapel Hill Town Council proposed their own health benefits, it sure looked like they weren't listening. Do our elected officials understand that we are looking for real leadership - that includes strong fiscal management.
We have great schools and a wonderful community. With the 4 governing bodies, 2 school boards and OWASA, its not clear that all these elected officials understand our priorities or expectations. How about real leadership rather than perk-seeking.
Getting real
A 0.4% transfer tax would generate more revenue than the 0.25% sales tax. Thus the sales tax would be even more inadequate. Putting both measures on the ballot would mean both got defeated because of organized opposition. A sales tax increase has more chance of success on its own. 6 counties have a 1.0% transfer tax.