County Executive proposes 30% increase in Income Taxes (Howard County, Maryland)

Allan Kittleman, Howard County Councilman, District 5 ^ | April 28, 2003 | Allan Kittleman

[mr.sarcastic]

County Executive proposes 9.35% increase in Budget and 30% increase in local Income Taxes

As many of you have heard, the County Executive has recently released his proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2004. He is requesting that the County Council approve his budget which is a 9.35% increase over last year's budget. While the Governor proposed only a 0.1% increase in the State budget, our County Executive has actually proposed raising the budget nearly 10% in a year when our revenues are very low.

To pay for his increase in the operation budget, the County Executive has proposed raising the local income tax from 2.45% to 3.20% for the next year. This is a 30% increase in one year!!

Councilman Chris Merdon and I are strongly opposed to both the large increase in the County's budget and the unexpectedly high increase in the local income tax. We believe that the County budget can be reduced. We are committed to going through the budget line by line to find areas to reduce.

We Need Your Help

The County Council will be holding a public hearing on the Operating Budget on Thursday, May 1, 2003 at 7:30 pm. The hearing will be held in the Banneker Room at the George Howard Building in Ellicott City.

There is no doubt that the people who support the increase in the local income tax will be out in large numbers to support the proposed operating budget. We need to demonstrate to the County Executive and the County Council that the proposed 9.35% increase in the budget and the 30% increase in the local income tax are not acceptable. In tough economic times like we are currently facing, we need to be diligent in our efforts to reduce the size and scope of government.

I encourage everyone to come out to the public hearing on May 1, 2003 to let your voices be heard. Chris and I would greatly appreciate any support you can give us to defeat these increases.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks in advance for your assistance with this issue.

Allan Kittleman
County Council, District 5

[mr.sarcastic]

Received this in my email today.

[gridlock]

I grew up in Howard County, Maryland (That's Howred Kinty, Murrlum for those in Clarksville). Thirty years ago, it was all farmland and country folk. Nowadays it's all suburbanites and urban refugees. I expect that, more and more, the urban values of larger government and higher taxes is going to push out any native conservatism that may remain.

I can't go back there, anymore. It just breaks my heart. This was some of the prettiest country you have ever seen, but it is ruined fair and proper now.

[Blood of Tyrants]

It is only a little bit. Surely you can afford it. Heaven forbid that the government have to do with less than they want.

[Renfield]

I live in Calvert County, and now I know where all our immigrants are coming from.

[Joe Boucher]

Sounds like it's time for another tea party here folks.
Throw these tax and spenders into the bay.

[Republicus2001]

why not raise it 200% - more is better

[Republic If You Can Keep It]

Any idea what is driving this 9% budget increase, 3 times the rate of inflation?

[mr.sarcastic]

Any idea what is driving this 9% budget increase, 3 times the rate of inflation?

Ridiculous fiscal irresponsibility and terrible leadership is what is driving the increase. Here's a couple quotes from last week's Howard County Times:

"(The tax increase) would help fund 4 percent pay increases for county employees, which Robey said are long overdue."

"It (also) includes money for 210 new teachers, new textbooks, a new halfway house for drug abusers, and new video cameras to catch speeders on county roads."

[mr.sarcastic]

How do you like that... Robey's going to raise taxes partially to fund speed cameras that are in themselves an additional tax. I'm sure he's been salivating over DC's speed camera revenues. And it's so simple... put the cameras on streets with inordinately low posted speed limits with a lot of traffic.

[mr.sarcastic]

why not raise it 200% - more is better

Sure, why not? Afterall, the government knows how to spend my money better than I do.

You know, I'd love to raise my budget by 10% next year too.... but that would be insane and irresponsible of me. Maybe I should register as a Democrat and run for office.

[ForOurFuture]

Surely this Kittlemen must be related to the George Kittlemen who represents Howard Co. in the Senate. Can anyone confirm?

[mr.sarcastic]

I've heard many people talk about how much Howard County has changed. I'm a 4 year resident, and a transplant from Southern California, so I appreciate the beauty and open space that still remains in Western HoCo. Columbia is the downfall of the county's conservative and rural roots.

[mr.sarcastic]

Yes, his son I believe.

[mr.sarcastic]

...and isn't it Robert Kittleman? Perhaps I'm getting the first names confused...

[FreedomCalls]

Columbia is the downfall of the county's conservative and rural roots.

If Columbia had not been founded then Laurel would have grown to the north and west instead. Which would you rather have -- Greater Laurel or Columbia. There was no way to stop the growth, the question was what would be the nature of the growth?

[jackbill]

As a former resident of Howard County (in the suburbs of Columbia), all that I can say is "Too bad". The cancer of Columbia (government workers and welfare recipients) has ruined a beautiful county.

As a current resident of Worcester County, which has the lowest "local" income tax rate in the state, let me say that I am grateful for all of the Howard County - and other Maryland residents - who come down to enjoy the ocean, and pay enough local taxes that we who live here year-around have less onerous taxes.

[mr.sarcastic]

I agree with you that the growth was inevitable, but Columbia is a liberal's dream... a utopian social experiment with a big brother style "association" that maintains full aesthetic control of all buildings and properties (you'd be crazy to buy a house within the association's control), an overemphasis on "diversity", quotas, interfaith centers (no "churches" wanted, thank you very much)... I could go on and on... I guess what I'm trying to say is I'd rather see how Greater Laurel might've turned out.

[gridlock]

Growth was inevitable because the Federal Beheomoth keeps getting bigger and bigger. Not too long ago, Greater Washington ended at the Beltway. That's why they built the Beltway where they did, because it ran mostly through farmland and open country. But as the FedGov grows and grows and employs more and more people, it squeezes out every other thing.

Out of control FedGov growth is a bad thing for everybody, but Howard County got it worse than the rest of us.