Why do they laugh at me?

[chathambooks]

Tonight at the Public Input session on Impact Fees the Commissioners pretty much laughed at me when I said - "CUT SPENDING".

I am quite sincere about that. Families all over are having to cut their budgets and live within their means in a tough economic climate. It's tough for me to leave my family and attend Commissioner's meetings. I don't make these comments lightly. So I don't appreciate being made to feel badly for suggesting that our Commissioners get creative.

I did praise the Commissioners for doing what it took to keep teaching jobs here in Chatham. They absolutely stepped up to the plate - I even thanked them on here because of their work. I saw it and it was great work they did. But they shouldn't stop now! Keep going guys!

To double the Impact Fees would cripple new home buyers. We were told the LTT was crucial to schools. It's a good thing we were not depending on LTT revenues to fund schools in the last year. This should be a lesson learned!! Our Commissioners are now trying to circumvent the voters who said - in a landslide vote - that they do not want to suffer the tax. The voters SPOKE in 2007 when they voted down the LTT. We don't want school funding to be dependent on a fluctuating real estate industry. We want schools to be a top budget priority!

For the Commissioners to say now that they want our input is disingenuous when we already told them we don't want to raise taxes! FEES are TAXES.

[belle]

uh, not unless you are buying up. if you are, then pay up.

[snowcamper]

uh, not unless you are buying up. if you are, then pay up.

Are you really serious?  Do you have any idea of the hidden realities behind your snide soundbites?

What about the family that has to take in an elderly parent and needs an extra bedroom?  Are they "buying up"?  They still have to pay the LTT.
What about the new family, who needs more bedrooms for the kids... are they "buying up"?  They still have to pay the LTT.
What about the poor family, who lives in little better than a shack, who scrimps and saves and finally comes up with a down payment.  Are they "buying up"?  They still have to pay the LTT.
The single folks who get married and want to start a life together.  "Buying up"?  the LTT.
The older person, looking to downsize after the family is gone...
The new business person looking for a place with a pole barn...
The farmer passing his land on to his kids...
The divorced woman, selling the house she got as part of her settlement...

All just "buying up", huh belle?

[Silk_Hope]

Buying up in Chatham must be moving from a single wide to a double wide.

[RJLeeb]

uh, not unless you are buying up. if you are, then pay up.

Do you have any idea of the hidden realities behind your snide soundbites?

No, she doesn't. 

[bluetick67]

Buying up in Chatham must be moving from a single wide to a double wide.

Drat, I've hit the plateau.

[belle]

uh, not unless you are buying up. if you are, then pay up.

Are you really serious?  Do you have any idea of the hidden realities behind your snide soundbites?

What about the family that has to take in an elderly parent and needs an extra bedroom?  Are they "buying up"?  They still have to pay the LTT.
What about the new family, who needs more bedrooms for the kids... are they "buying up"?  They still have to pay the LTT.
What about the poor family, who lives in little better than a shack, who scrimps and saves and finally comes up with a down payment.  Are they "buying up"?  They still have to pay the LTT.
The single folks who get married and want to start a life together.  "Buying up"?  the LTT.
The older person, looking to downsize after the family is gone...
The new business person looking for a place with a pole barn...
The farmer passing his land on to his kids...
The divorced woman, selling the house she got as part of her settlement...

All just "buying up", huh belle?

what happened to up by the bootstraps, pay as you climb? education is for everyone?

land rich, cash in?

[A.FOMVS]

Buying up in Chatham must be moving from a single wide to a double wide.

Would that be a lateral move?

[peacefulcapitalist]

Tonight at the Public Input session on Impact Fees the Commissioners pretty much laughed at me when I said - "CUT SPENDING".

I am quite sincere about that. Families all over are having to cut their budgets and live within their means in a tough economic climate. It's tough for me to leave my family and attend Commissioner's meetings. I don't make these comments lightly. So I don't appreciate being made to feel badly for suggesting that our Commissioners get creative.

I did praise the Commissioners for doing what it took to keep teaching jobs here in Chatham. They absolutely stepped up to the plate - I even thanked them on here because of their work. I saw it and it was great work they did. But they shouldn't stop now! Keep going guys!

To double the Impact Fees would cripple new home buyers. We were told the LTT was crucial to schools. It's a good thing we were not depending on LTT revenues to fund schools in the last year. This should be a lesson learned!! Our Commissioners are now trying to circumvent the voters who said - in a landslide vote - that they do not want to suffer the tax. The voters SPOKE in 2007 when they voted down the LTT. We don't want school funding to be dependent on a fluctuating real estate industry. We want schools to be a top budget priority!

For the Commissioners to say now that they want our input is disingenuous when we already told them we don't want to raise taxes! FEES are TAXES.

During the LTT campaign it was made pretty clear that the choice was going to come down to LTT or higher impact fees.   So the choice was made, and is being implemented. 

Sorry, no development taxes is not a choice because the bill is now coming due for all the growth that was approved during the Bunkey regime.  Saying you don't want to pay the cost now is like ordering the meal, eating it, and then when the check comes saying you're too fiscally responsible to pay it.

[WolfpackFan]

PFC, I think the rub is coming from the hiring of all of the new directors, getting a bus, and few other things, and then saying we have to raise fees and taxes to pay for growth approved during the Bunkey era. 

[snowcamper]

what happened to up by the bootstraps, pay as you climb? education is for everyone?

land rich, cash in?

Miore ignorance... and a hint of greed, envy or jealousy there.  "They've got the money (land), I want their money (taxes)."  That's greed and envy in its most pure form.

Besides that, it is hard to use your bootstraps to get out of the mud when the County Comissioners keep trying to kick you in the head as soon as you get your feet under you.  It still might be possible, but it sure is harder.

Pay as you climb?  That's a liberal term for sure.  How about pay your fair and equal share...

Education is for everyone...but we don't have to have an LTT to pay for education.  We only have to have that if we have spent our traditional tax revenue on things like Kilns and Busses and Human Relations Directors and MMGW committees and "special" elections...

And you're using the one example (someone getting rich off a single land sale) and ignoring all of mine.  Cling to that one belief...the one justification for your greed...but don't impose it on everyone else.  You also continually ignore the enhanced revenue that comes from the newly developed property.

[chrstnhsbndfthr]

PC is absolutely right. During the last attempt to raise taxes they told us they would NOT cut spending and would find another way to tax us more. 

Heather, they laughed, because the concept of spending less is so foreign to them as to be funny. It would be akin to them telling you to breath water.  Wouldn't that sound funny to you?  Telling a liberal politician not to keep spending money they do not have sounds exactly the same to them. Unthinkable.

[mary51802]

The people of Chatham are on the right track. Cut the fat in County Government.

[natvrabit]

I have an idea! No LTT, no impact fees, eliminate any part of one's tax bill dedicated to schools. Have NO SCHOOLS. Those who have children can HOME SCHOOL. Think of the fat cut...sell the bus fleet, shut down the Administrative offices, won't have to pay for those pesky teachers that sit your children all day. Those who don't have children will get a tax break since won't be funding schools any longer and can stimulate the economy by spending on what they use/need.
Plan B, PAYGO have children. A 5 or 10K fee post delivery, paid directly to a school building fund, call it a user fee or play you pay fund

[Populist]

Wolf-
Those positions and investments are minor when compared to the overall school budget.  In fact, law enforcement, schools and fire protection are THE big ticket items on the tax bill.

People move hear for low taxes and then demand services that can only be paid for by new revenues. Eliminating the impact fee and implementing a 1% LTT, which was championed by Commissioner Cross and Commissioner Barnes was the way to go. The 1% LTT was chopped in Raleigh so the referendum vote was for less than the needed 1%. Also,  plenty of misinformation was spread around during the anti-LTT effort by special interest groups, too.

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