Second Hearing Planned But They Will Not Hear You!

by Ron West

Council Plans to Raise Taxes for 14th Consecutive Year!

    The city has posted the agenda for Monday - August 28th, 2006 meeting which includes the second "required" hearing on the budget and tax rate for 2006-2007.  Note the word required (by state law).  No hearings would be required if they were not raising taxes.  You can read more about it at http://www.ci.north-richland-hills.tx.us/agendas_council.aspx.

        Quoting from the supporting documents for Monday's agenda:

"The tax rate is scheduled to be adopted on September 11, 2006 during the regular 7:00 PM City Council Meeting. The proposed tax rate for the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 is 57¢.  If adopted, this will be the 14th consecutive year the City has maintained a 57¢ tax rate."

        By maintaining the rate, the council is increasing spending and increasing tax revenues every year due to both new construction and the increasing valuations each year on about 1/3 of the properties in NRH.  (All properties are effectively increased on a 3 year cycle.  If they missed you this year they will get you in the next two years.)  This is essentially the same council group that fought against the freezing of taxes for the seniors and disabled and called the denial of the above increases a LOSS to the city.  The above language indicates that the decision is already made - as it was made in previous years. 

        One would think that "hearings" were meant for input to our city leadership but that is not true in this case.  The council has no plans to actually consider any input from citizens regarding either the budget or the tax rate.  City bureaucrats have already prepared the budget spending plans and there will be no changes of significance at this point in the process.  The hearing is only to fulfill state law by it being held.  The law does not require the council to actually consider your input.  The budget process is a closed process and citizen input in neither welcome nor considered.

        If anyone does take issue with any budget item, be prepared for discourteous treatment and possibly personal abuse from our Mayor.  He does not tolerate dissent well at all.

        The only hope for the future of NRH citizens for tax relief would be state action to limit the annual increases in valuation as recently proposed again by Governor Perry.  This idea is anathema to our council and to the Fort Worth Star Telegram also.  Unlimited valuation increases allow local governments to continue their patterns of runaway spending while blaming others for the increases.  Make no mistake, our council is very aware that they are actually raising taxes and they plan to continue it.

        Fourteen years of continual increases would seem to be too many - but we do get what we vote for don't we?