Possible tax hike draws protest

[Driven1]

An activist group has announced plans to speak out against the possibility of a property tax increase to pay for Mayor John Peyton’s Jacksonville Journey anti-crime plan.
The local chapter of Americans for Prosperity will protest at the Journey’s community meeting at the Florida Community College South Campus, Wilson Center for the Arts, 11901 Beach Blvd. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. but the public is invited at 5:30 p.m. to learn more about the plan.
Coordinator Jeff Hunt said his group is not against the anti-crime plan, but questions the need for a millage increase to pay for it.
City officials project Jacksonville Journey would cost $36.2 million next year. The plan, and a possible tax increase, have not been adopted.

looks like this was earlier tonight.

[Driven1]

from their website...

Voters statewide overwhelmingly approved Amendment 1, forcing local governments to cut property taxes.  However, despite the fact that a majority of residents supported Amendment 1, the Jacksonville City Council has not gotten the message that its citizens are over-taxed.

First, the City Council created three new 'fees' to recoup all of the revenue lost in property tax cuts.  Now, they're talking about raising property taxes!

The Jacksonville Journey (an unelected body of bureaucrats and former elected officials) is going to recommend that the Jacksonville City Council raise the millage rates, increasing your property taxes drastically.

Our economy is shaky and the real estate market is hurting; we simply cannot afford any new taxes!

Please use the box below to write your own strongly worded message to the Jacksonville City Council and Mayor Peyton, telling them that you do not want your property taxes to increase.

The message will also go to the members of the Jacksonville Journey.

Also, make sure to join us at the Jacksonville Journey meeting on Thursday May 29th at 5pm.  Click here for more details 

[gatorback]

Yup.  Jacksonville needs higher property taxes.  To support the fine services offered to its residents.

[Driven1]

Fine, fine services indeed. 

[Downtown Dweller]

I would be willing to pay more taxes to have cops walking a beat in my neihgborhood. I would not be willing to pay for more cops sitting outside Eureka Gardens though, or not answer my calls because they are alwasy at Lincoln Court, or to sit at Hemming Plaza during the weekdays. Mkae these aparment complex owners pay a special tax to pay for the police who are spending the majority of their time at these places anyway!

[gatorback]

I agree there's room for efficiency improvments at the po po department.  At my office I have to juggle 2 or 3 things at a time.  I'd love to just sit and wait for my phone to ring before I had to do anything.  Is there any room for improvement in the other city departments before we raise taxes?  HUH?

[JeffreyS]

If the taxes are for Police, Education or good mass transit count me in. If they are for some developer to make a strip mall for a new sprawl mart count me out.

[chris]

from their website...

Voters statewide overwhelmingly approved Amendment 1, forcing local governments to cut property taxes. However, despite the fact that a majority of residents supported Amendment 1, the Jacksonville City Council has not gotten the message that its citizens are over-taxed.

No they didn't, especially in Jacksonville, where I believe it was a 60-40 vote against Amendment 1. If the Devil's gonna quote scripture, at least he double checks his source first.

If the taxes are for Police, Education or good mass transit count me in. If they are for some developer to make a strip mall for a new sprawl mart count me out.

And there's the crux of the issue. We always complain about the high crime in our area, but the real problem is that income and quality of life disparities are enormous, and until we figure out how to address those economic problems and the social problems associated with them, we will never be happy with our government. Start with the source, not the symptom. High crime is a symptom, so find the cause(s) and deal with that. In all reality, if we're not happy with the government, we really have no one to be upset at but ourselves. We elect them, year after year, and then fail to address the issues that really get us up in arms when it comes to election time.

Think of everything that really has an impact on our quality of lives: safety, education, economic stability, health, and the availability of "amenities" (both natural and man-made). Can lower taxes help any of this on the grand scale?

If you even thought about answering yes to that question, then you've got some pretty heavy reading to do...

When it comes to the bottom line, government is an agreement by all of us to hold each other accountable, to legislate for a division of labor that allows each of us to do what we do best, and to enjoy the stability of strength in numbers. I've been making this argument on the State University System ever since the tax cut was proposed: Tuition in this state is in the bottom ten in the country and so is the quality of our educational institutions. The wonderful legislators in Tallahassee are convinced that any increase in tuition is like levying a new tax, so they gripe and moan and make the universities raise their fees, accomplishing the same thing that a tuition hike would've done, but without making the capitol look bad in the press. Sounds mighty similar to the new fees if you ask me...  They didn't really accomplish anything other than passing the buck to the local governments, imposing new regulations on counties and cities, and further exerting their supremacist authority over everyone, further destroying our beloved home-rule doctrine that kept North Florida from becoming New Miami....

So what am I saying? DUH! Stop looking as the meager taxes we pay as bad, and start looking at them as an investment. You pay a couple grand in property taxes every year, but because of that, the girl behind the counter at Publix can read, write and calculate your total if need be, the teller at your bank can speak coherently, and your kids can 'learn' in a positive environment for basically the cost of a postage stamp in comparison to the value of such knowledge. Because of taxes, the regressive sales tax, the formerly progressive property tax and the under-utilized payroll tax, you can go to the Northbank and walk on the Riverwalk, you can enjoy the Jags play in our beautiful stadium, and you can go see Kenny Chesney play at the Arena. Because of our taxes, the family down the street has money to feed their three kids, your grandmother can afford (almost) her medications, and Joe Shmoe from Kokomo can pay his rent after being laid off by Bankrupt, Inc.

Yup.  Jacksonville needs higher property taxes.  To support the fine services offered to its residents.

So if you're not happy with the way things are run or services are provided, suggest a new way to do it, and don't take no for an answer. Bureaucracy is designed to slow the process down so the politicians can't pull a fast one on us meager citizens, even though they try regularly.

If the taxes are for Police, Education or good mass transit count me in. If they are for some developer to make a strip mall for a new sprawl mart count me out.

That’s an institutional culture issue. Imaginative innovation is not exactly consistent with the traditionalist political culture in Jacksonville. How do we fix that? Show people the value of 'planned progress', and not just the master-planned crap springing up everywhere, but actual, sustainable, livable development that draws in not just families, but citizens that will be active in our community and contribute to the commonwealth that Jacksonville so desperately needs to survive.

Maybe I'm an idealist, maybe I'm just naive, and maybe I'm just too much of both to really make an impact. But maybe I’m right... I sure as hell hope I am.

[gatorback]

So if you're not happy with the way things are run or services are provided, suggest a new way to do it, and don't take no for an answer. Bureaucracy is designed to slow the process down so the politicians can't pull a fast one on us meager citizens, even though they try regularly.

I've got one thing to say about that.  Corrine Brown.

[gatorback]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrine_Brown

A model politician if I may say so myself.

In particular, read: Ethics involving daughter   

[Driven1]

chris - to quote the Dead Milkmen, "You'll fall for anything."

OH, THE  MAYOR SAYS WE CAN'T CUT ANYTHING.  THERE IS NO WASTE IN GOVERNMENT.  THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO RAISE OUR TAXES!!  I'M 100% BEHIND YOU MR. MAYOR.

it truly is ridiculous how much this "Republican" mayor has raised taxes when he ran on a strong "no raise in the taxes" platform in 2003.


gatorback - one thing about Corrine, "She deliva!" 

PS Chris...i had to add this.  I think that you ARE an idealist.  It is romantic and novel, but not realistic.  As you begin to live in the real world and it is your money that they are wasting, you may find yourself becoming a little less idealistic and a little more realistic. 

[gatorback]

1) Switch to bio-D.  Austin Fire depot did it and gave the city back $1M hard.  Give me a break.
2) No more big trash pick ups.  You got shit that large, get it to the dump yourself.
3) 1 Dump truck followed by a smaller truck for down town trash pick ups? F that.

Drivenl:  I love me some corrine. She taught me to Get while the gett'n is good.
            I'll never forget that Billboard with her on it in that fur. ROFLMA

[chris]

chris - to quote the Dead Milkmen, "You'll fall for anything."

OH, THE  MAYOR SAYS WE CAN'T CUT ANYTHING.  THERE IS NO WASTE IN GOVERNMENT.  THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO RAISE OUR TAXES!!  I'M 100% BEHIND YOU MR. MAYOR.

It's not that I'll fall for anything, its that I don't think cutting taxes is sound fiscal policy. I'm not a fan of the current system, but I also understand the bigger picture. In fact, the mayors of this city for the last decade have pretty much doomed us to living in urban sprawl for the next fifteen years, to say nothing of the lingering QOL issues that plague us. Jacksonville is just a microchasm in the grand failing social system that is this country, and realizing that it doesn't have to be this way is the basis of my post.

[Driven1]

it is awesomely fantastic and superb how those who pay zero or very little of the taxes LOVE to raise the taxes of those actual taxpayers and then dictate how that money is spent. 

chris, one day you will understand if you ever own property in Duval to any large degree.  it is utterly disgusting how frivolously they throw away your hard earned money.  we are talking about thousands and thousands and thousands of YOUR dollars - that is just wasted and thrown about.

you will also soon find that your money is used to finance frivolous law suits, welfare from those who know how to work the system (see the ever-popular bumpersticker that reads "Keep working hard.  My welfare check depends on you."), to finance cops who have a code of secrecy where they can do no wrong and that pays for dispatchers who are truly THE CREAM OF THE CROP and cops who take 52 minutes to get to a burglary in progress. 

it is inspiring.  when you see all this.  you are ready and willing to open up your pockets more. 

ps - i won't mention the courthouse or tri-legacy or back-room deals with Scott Teagle. 

[gatorback]

Ever wonder why Clay and St. Johns county don't have these problems?