Dear KP Editor:
Over a year ago Mount Vernon City officials put together a hand-picked committee to come up with a rationale for raising city income taxes. Predictably, they then issued a report calling for city council to place an issue on the ballot to do so. They never considered any options to cut spending, eliminate non-essential services, or even freeze salaries.
This new money was never intended to be spent on emergency, fire, and police services. In fact, the plan to earmark this money was hatched at the last minute, in a backroom deal, in order to build political support for this proposal.
DON’T BE FOOLED. If this issue is passed emergency, fire, and police services will receive no additional money. Instead, it will free up more money in the general fund for the pet projects and mismanagement of our local politicians.
And how have these politicians been spending our money? Badly.
Don’t forget these examples:
– $75,000 to settle allegations that city officials harassed police officer Mark Perkins for serving his country overseas.
– $25,000 to settle with former city official Pam Muralt after officials filed petty theft charges against her without cause.
– $5,000 to settle allegations that a local resident was bullied into selling his vehicle to a city official after it was in the city impound lot.
So where will this new money actually get spent? Simple. Buildings and salaries.
City officials have already obligated themselves to pay a whopping $550,000 for security upgrades alone at the city owned plaza building. Their eventual hope is to tear this building down and spend millions on a new, plush structure along with a new parking garage. And they will soon begin negotiating with government employee unions for a new three-year contract.
Despite their expensive campaign promises, the simple fact is that the gravy train has never stopped at city hall. Both unionized employees and top administrators continue to receive raises, benefits, and other perks, year after year.
City officials need to go back to the drawing board and work a lot harder before asking already overburdened taxpayers to pay more. Please join me in Voting No on the proposed income tax increase.
Sincerely,
Scott Pullins
Mount Vernon