May 4, 2009 Sales Tax Referendum

I'm guessing that the city's blackmail referendum making the sales tax increase "countywide" will pass tomorrow.

Click here to see how the blackmail referendum came about.

Here's the 15-month saga in a nutshell showing that the government--city and county--never give up on getting more tax money! County commissioners and County Mayor David Purkey saw the first countywide sales tax increase defeated in February 2008 despite the letter sent out by Ford and Purkey on county stationery and despite never-ending Tribune front-page press releases supporting the increase.

The City, which had just raised its property tax rate by 40 cents in 2007, decided to try again and again offered a carrot to city voters in order to get the increase passed citywide. The carrot: the city would roll back its historic and unprecedented 40-cent property tax increase to "only" a 25-cent increase IF city voters would support a sales tax increase in June 2008. City voters said "it's a deal." See the taxpayer-funded letters sent out to city voters here.

Now the county is piggybacking off the city results. Several commissioners, Mayor David Purkey, and school board members are happy that the city passed the tax increase in June 2008 giving the county yet another opportunity to push for the increase "outside" the city limits.

The Chamber has asked its members to get out and vote for the increase.

The School System has encouraged voters---including, of course, the huge block of school system employees---to get out and vote for the increase.

Several county commissioners, including commission chair Stancil Ford, are going around encouraging a YES vote on the increase.

County Mayor David Purkey, who signed letters on county stationery supporting a sales tax increase in 2008, is still on the tax 'em more bandwagon even if it takes a two-step referendum to get there.

The Tribune has run its editorial supporting a sales tax increase just like it did back during the 2001 sales tax increase referendum (which failed) and just like it does every time that most any tax increase is on the table.

So...the city finally got what it wanted in June 2008 and the rest is history.

The county has held down interest in tomorrow's sales tax referendum by scheduling the referendum on a date when no other county office or issue is being voted on. Unlike city voters, county voters are not being offered a property tax decrease. There will be a low overall county voter turnout but a high turnout of school and chamber voters and the referendum will likely pass this time.

And Director of School Dale Lynch has not prioritized his spending or said exactly where any additional sales tax money will go---but you can rest assured that all your tax money WILL BE SPENT and that everyone will come back asking for MORE.