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Increase in Motor Vehicle Registration Tax

Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Council
Forum Description: Discuss individual members and council as a legislative body.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6981
Printed Date: Mar 28 2024 at 9:43am


Topic: Increase in Motor Vehicle Registration Tax
Posted By: buddhalite
Subject: Increase in Motor Vehicle Registration Tax
Date Posted: Feb 18 2020 at 11:20am
Sent the following just now to our Mayor, copying all members of council:

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Madam Mayor,

I will likely be unable to attend tonight’s council meeting to deliver these remarks in person – therefore I write to you today to stand firmly in opposition to this egregious, arbitrary and capricious tax increase upon the citizens of the great City of Middletown.

Egregious on its face as council has raised millions for the road, millions for the sewers, tens of millions for downtown and very little of it has ever been spent appropriately and accurately.  The citizens of Middletown have a mistrust of their city leadership (and considering just one – the sewers) are paying dearly for it.

Arbitrary as this is nothing more than a money grab. Council expects this thing to raise $235,000 a year meaning $470,000 over the now 2 year life of the program…what will that do for us?  How much road can you actually pave for that money?  The 2017 repaving program was 1.2M and paved my street, two adjacent streets and that (was told to me by the man in charge of the program standing in my driveway during the construction) was the lion’s share of the money.  That was less than 1 linear mile of streets.  This won’t make a drop in the bucket considering the current state of the streets in our amazing city.

Capricious because this council knows full well – no increase of taxes that will head to the voters will ever be approved in light of this and previous councils’ poor judgement, scandalous fiscal management and its affinity with spending all of its money to the west of University Boulevard.

Madam Mayor, I beseech you and all councilpersons to begin righting the ship that has so long in this community been listing and drifting away from its true and stated purposes.  Vote this down at this evenings meeting.  Lead this council as best you can to being good stewards of the money they control – and stop them from trying to take even more money out of the pockets of the hard working citizenry of our fine city.

The purchasing of worthless land from the school board was this council’s first major misstep – let’s not continue in that path.  Let’s forge a new pathway ahead.

Sincerely,
Bob Nolan

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We as the citizenry cannot allow these unfettered money grabs to continue by our council. This is money for the sake of money - and we know it will be spent in every way but its intended purpose - so I ask all who read this to do the same and let your councilpersons know.

Bob


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"Every government intervention [in the marketplace] creates unintended consequences, which lead to calls for further government interventions." -Ludwig van Mises



Replies:
Posted By: Dead man walkin'
Date Posted: Feb 18 2020 at 5:20pm
You are, of course, correct.

The council recently approved a SIX MILLION DOLLAR contract to re-pave a mere SIX-TENTHS of one mile in their precious downtown.  At that rate, the $470.000 raised by this money grab would re-pave less than 250 feet of roadway after TWO YEARS!

That is substantially less than the length of a football field.

Why bother?


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"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" (Psalm 23)


Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Feb 19 2020 at 8:19am
Interesting angle is will you get any kind of response from a new mayor who might view citizen input as important. Otherwise you are probably wasting your effort. These things are usually decided and set in motion by the time the citizens hear about them.


Posted By: buddhalite
Date Posted: Feb 19 2020 at 10:59am
It was pulled from the agenda last night at the request of 'multiple' members of council.

So - the process still works.


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"Every government intervention [in the marketplace] creates unintended consequences, which lead to calls for further government interventions." -Ludwig van Mises



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