It is awfully hard to follow what is going on with the budget on Signal Mountain. The last I heard, a new garbage tax was a "done deal" according to Bill Wallace's Facebook page and certainly the news coverage seemed to support that. Today, Bill's Facebook implies that the garbage tax will not be enacted and that a property tax increase is ahead. I know that Annette Allen has advocated a garbage tax (oops, I mean "fee") for awhile. When we went to automated garbage service a few years ago (a change I strongly supported), it was project to save around $100,000 per year which I thought justified the decrease in service from twice a week to once a week. I did not support decreasing backdoor service to our elderly and disabled citizens, though there was pressure from staff and other councilmembers to do so and apparently that is part of the current proposal... ie, increased fees for decreased service. I have long known that we would need to do something about revenue soon and was frankly surprised that town manager Honna Rogers hadn't recommended a tax increase sooner, but since my last year on the council was an election year, I suppose I shouldn't have been (surprised, that is). Nonetheless, the new census numbers supported my contention that the town has not grown in the last decade, in spite of all the fear-mongering about "unbridled growth". However, our costs do continue to grow and I knew that eventually the piper would have to be paid somehow.
There is some merit in going to a fee-based garbage system if it is used to reinforce recycling and decrease the waste stream. However, a "fee" which applies essentially to every household and which is an additional cost is a tax, so that's what I'll call it. I would have preferred an offset in property taxes if this was truly initiated as a way to separate out the garbage service. The problem with fees is that they are regressive, ie they affect those of lesser means (especially those on fixed incomes) disproproportionately and if the service being paid for is one that everyone uses, it becomes a regressive tax rather than a true fee. I supported some of the fee increases introduced during my term because we were trying to get in line with other towns and because the services were more optional (pool, tennis, gym, MACC, etc), however garbage service is basic and universal.
Frankly, I am a bit surprised that Joe Dumas and Mo Kiah and some of our other anti-tax teaparty types haven't been raising the roof on Chattanoogan.com over this proposal. As a matter of fact, the Chattanoogan seems quite uninterested in covering much of anything on Signal Mountain. The last article I found on our budget was from 5/6 (http://chattanoogan.com/articles/article_200658.asp). Chattanoogan.com certainly seems to be less interested in Signal Mountain's activities since I've been off the council (maybe a coincidence or am I just paranoid??).
At any rate, I am very curious about what the final decision will be but either way I would plan on paying more for something. I still refer everyone back to my suggestion to keep taxes level, (see blog of Feb. 10), but since Mayor Lusk attacked me so aggressively on this proposal in his letter (on the Chattanoogan.com) of last fall, I would not expect this to be adopted.
This blog is dedicated to issues facing the Signal Mountain, Tennessee community.
8 comments:
Paul:
The blogspot made it too difficult to post a reply there. Plus, it's brief.
The garbage collection fee should be a flat amount per can. If you don't use the can, you don't pay the fee. One of my neighbors uses 2 of the 95 gal cans per week, mostly filled with recyclables. They should be paying, while we, who use less than a can a week, should not.
That's what I think.
Thanks
Van (Bunch)
I agree and I think I made that point, that if the fee is used to reinforce conservation that is great and I would be open to that. However, as I understand it the plan was that you pay a set amount regardless of the number of cans (except for the initial upfront cost for the extra can). The amount should increase monthly if you have more than one can. It also appeared that you would pay the same amount per month whether you put your can out once a week or every other week or once a month. Obviously, you could take your garbage (ie, non-recyclables) to the dump yourself, but having to do that extra work is the functional equivalent of a tax anyway. The point I also made was that if that is the goal, they should offset the revenue, but if this is just an excuse to raise revenue without calling it a "tax", that is dissembling (something this council has excelled at). It is probably moot because my understanding is that they have decided to skip the "garbage fee" and just raise property taxes. Obviously I am limited in what I know because the town's minutes are still very sketchy and limited (see the budget meeting minutes at: http://signalmountaintn.gov/assets/minutes/2011/05022011.pdf) and the local media do a lousy job of covering the Council's business. Part of my whole goal was to help educate and to initiate some discussion, so I appreciate your input and will post your response on the blog. I realize that responding can be a pain. If you don't have an "account", you can post "anonymously" then just put your name at the bottom of the response itself (I think that's right, I need to double check).
Paul
I'm beginning to wonder if the Township of Signal Mountain should be dissolved and revert to Hamilton County. Is that even possible?
I would not support dissolving our town and reverting to Hamilton County. Among other things, the services we provide would deteriorate significantly and from a planning and zoning point of view, while our current zoning is way too rigid and forces up the price of housing to exclude most of the middle class, the county's zoning is way to far in the other direction allowing 7500 sf lots in sewered developments without open space requirements.
There has, however been talk of seceding from Hamilton County... I'm sure this is in jest, but it is an indication of the frustration of our citizens with the current political climate in Hamilton County. Having county commissioners bragging about breaking the open meetings law and referring to African-American County Commissioners by the hated "n-word" is an appalling state of affairs, not to mention the state of neglect of the public education of our children.
This entire article starts incorrectly from the first sentance. "It is awfully hard to follow what is going on with the budget on Signal Mountain."
There is not a budget ON Signal Mountain. There is a budget IN Signal Mountain which is a TOWN, on WALDEN'S RIDGE.
Folks on the ridge should either raise dirt to the appropriate height if you insist on saying that you live on a mountain. Until then, you live on a ridge or in Signal Mountain.
This is bit of a pet peeve of mine and as a former resident of Signal Mountain (the town), I wanted to verbalize this and get it out of my system once and for all.
Perhaps residents can collect the garbage and build a mound to achieve True, Mountain Status!
I'll accept your correction. Yes, we live IN Signal Mountain and ON Walden's Ridge.
Thanks for the update. I too have been following this and really have not been clear on if garbage collection was going to be charged as a "fee" or they would incorporate it in a "tax" increase.
Frankly, we are very fortunate to have both trash pick up AND leaf collection services for the price of our current taxes. That really is why I get so irritated about the gorge since we have a free pick up service for those kinds of things.
One suggestion might be to have a tiered level of fees. If you have pick up at your door for smaller quanities then it is a lower fee then for the average family. This could easily be adjusted by providing even smaller trash receptacles for singles or elderly folks.
Anyway, thanks for keeping me up to speed.
Paul (Miller)
The Signal Mountain community sucks. I lived in "Old Towne" for 8 years, and the best thing that ever happened was when I moved away from that dreadful place. The citizens think they are above the law, and complain about the most frivilious things; I know this because I had the unfortunate job of policing this lame community at one time. If there was ever a easy button you could push to make that place and everyone in it disappear, I would so press it and keep pressing it. Ever heard every village has its idiot? Well Signal Mountian, in my opinion is a village populated with idiots.
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