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<font color="#ff0000"><big>It would be nice to hear from our Elected
Officials (County + Town) on their position for this purposed
Tax Increase.</big></font><br>
<br>
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<br>
<div align="center"><big><big><big><b>Prince George’s bloggers sound
off on proposal to raise property taxes</b></big></big></big><br>
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<font color="#3366ff"><u><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2015/04/16/prince-georges-bloggers-sound-off-on-proposal-to-raise-property-taxes/">http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2015/04/16/prince-georges-bloggers-sound-off-on-proposal-to-raise-property-taxes/</a></u><u><br>
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By Arelis R. Hernández April 16 at 6:03 PM <br>
<br>
<br>
One blogger likened the buzz around Prince George’s County Executive
Rushern L. Baker III’s proposed property tax increases to a plague
of locusts.<br>
<br>
A frequent yet anonymous county political commentator dubbed the
budget plan a tax rip-off.<br>
<br>
And, of course, Change.org has a 300-signature petition going
against the administration’s request to the County Council to raise
revenue to pay for a $1.9 billion education budget.<br>
<br>
The County Council’s vote is not until June, but the rancor
surrounding Baker’s bold proposal is inciting furious debate in the
blogosphere, community discussion boards and e-mail listservs where
many Prince George’s County residents digest news about their
government. They are written by community activists and can be
influential.<br>
<br>
In southern Prince George’s County, for example, the Indian Head
Highway Area Action Council maintains a large e-mail list that is
distributed to 25 homeowner’s associations and civic groups from
Accokeek to Forest Heights and beyond.<br>
<br>
President Archie O’Neil wrote a policy statement for the group
questioning the school system’s past expenditures and assertions by
elected officials that more money will translate into better
schools.<br>
<br>
There is a great possibility of having diminishing returns, if more
funding is added to the education budget. There are socioeconomic
issues we must address prior to increasing our school budgetHigher
taxes will destroy Prince George’s County<br>
<br>
That message reached Chris Bullock, president of the Simmons Acres
Homeowner’s Association in Accokeek, who said the subject comes up
often at their meetings: I think people feel taxed-out, he said. We
are all a little leery.<br>
<br>
Capitol Heights resident and attorney Bradley Heard has dedicated
two recent posts (and a third is coming) on his blog the Prince
George’s Urbanist to what opponents have described as Baker’s brazen
and unlawful attempt to circumvent voter-imposed property tax cap
known as TRIM.<br>
<br>
The 1970s-era tax cap has been modified a few times in its history,
but the core principle persists: Property taxes cannot be raised
without voter approval. Detractors like Heard and Hyattsville
activist Judy Robinson maintain any tax increases should be approved
by voters as outlined in the county charter but a 2012 state law,
S.B. 848, appears to have given the County Council the
revenue-raising authority. Here’s what the state Attorney General’s
Office had to say:<br>
<br>
The Office of Attorney General has consistently advised that the
referendum requirement and other charter limitations on the power of
a county council to impose taxes does<br>
not apply when the council is acting pursuant to an authorization in
a public general law enacted by the General Assembly.<br>
<br>
In other words, state law supersedes county law.<br>
<br>
Still, Heard’s arguments about public distrust, the burden of
struggling homeowners and the wisdom of dramatically increasing
property taxes echoes in the sentiments of the county’s most
unsympathetic taxpayers during public meetings being held in each
district. Council member Mary Lehman (D-Laurel) had to interrupt a
recent Q&A event at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in
Beltstville to demand civility when some residents battered
administration officials with accusations.<br>
<br>
Baker is betting that his let’s educate our children argument will
eventually persuade a wary public and council to support his move.
But raising taxes to increase school funding isn’t the right move
for Prince George’s County at this juncture...While there may well
be occasions when the county may need to raise taxes for the greater
good, even if it risks alienating some people, now is not one of
those times.<br>
<br>
Prince George’s County’s activists are few but vocal. Their
campaigns are consistently underfunded, but they have a history of
winning big political debates about taxes and term limits by
convincing the electorate they are on the right side. Baker knows it
because he’s been on the losing end of the most recent battle. (last
line in the story)<br>
<br>
But being a lawyer by training, the county executive said he is
ready for the debate and is convinced that residents with the right
information will understand the urgency of his proposal. He is
trying to head off the opposition’s contentions and persuade his
constituents that 15 cents (the proposed property tax increase from
$0.96 to $1.11 per $100 of assessed value) is not a tax increase but
an investment, through a series of live roundtable discussions.
Schools chief executive Kevin Maxwell will be with him, making the
rounds to explain the specifics of the education spending strategy
to skeptics.<br>
<br>
Baker made the pitch to a roomful of business and government leaders
in his state of the economy speech on Thursday:<br>
<br>
My friends, it’s time for us to put up or forever hold our peace. We
either want the best schools or we don’t. It is just that simple!
This is our moment Now is the time.<br>
<br>
Arelis Hernández covers Prince George’s County as part of The
Washington Post's local staff.<br>
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