Just about everyone assumed that the reason the Midland, Texas, mayor and city council put their wished-for tax on the May ballot instead of the November ballot was to get out their loyalists to outnumber the "no" votes that they feared would come out to vote in the presidential election.
So when the Mayor Jerry Morales complained about the low turnout on May 6 we are left wondering to whom was he referring.
The issue was whether to extend the 1/4 cent sales tax for a dozen years or so. The original tax was approved by voters long ago to fund a sports complex. The complex was built and has been operating for quite some time. The promise was that the tax would eventually expire. But it's hard for tax collectors to give up on a revenue source, so as the expiration date approached, they sought to keep it going.
On May 6 the voters said "no."
Now the people who were elected to redistribute tax revenue are contemplating a property tax hike.
Local property taxes go up each year, and the excuse for the past few years is that population growth means they have to spend more money. Well, maybe. But that argument ignores the fact that the people moving in pay taxes, too, so they are basically self funding. But no, the taxes for all of us keep going up.
So the race is on between those who want to raise property taxes and those who support Governor Gregg Abbott's drive to require voter approval of property tax hikes. Go Governor Abbott!
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2:29 PM 5/8/2017
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