Posted on 05/05/2020 1:19:30 PM PDT by stickandrudder
Democrats never miss an opportunity to stick it to the American people with taxes — no matter the situation.
And that is precisely what the mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, proposed doing while many of his constituents are out of work.
Mayor John Cooper pushed for a 31.7 percent property tax increase and major cuts because, he said, the city is faced with “the greatest financial challenge” it has had in a lifetime, the Tennessean reported.
“This is a crisis budget,” he said as he gave a frightening outlook for the financial future of the city.
And he is correct: This is likely the “greatest financial challenge” the city has faced in modern history.
But it is also the greatest financial challenge many of his city’s residents have faced in a lifetime, and raising taxes on them to that degree is not going to help.
“Cooper’s $2.44 billion budget proposal is about $115 million more than this year’s budget,” the Tennessean reported.
“After two deals to bring in a quick influx of cash faltered last year, Nashville’s house of cards collapsed, leading to a $42 million shortfall.”
Nashville was in a financial hole before it was hit with a major storm and then the coronavirus pandemic.
City grants to nonprofits would bear the brunt of Cooper’s proposed new budget, the Tennessean reported. The mayor had ruled out cuts to cost-of-living adjustments for city employees.
“In the end, hard, hard decisions have to be made,” he said. “Everybody is sacrificing in this budget.”
But while city employees will be keeping their jobs, property-owning taxpayers will be taken to the woodshed by the proposed budget.
“It’s an insult to small businesses in Nashville that are literally at best on their knees, but most are on the ground. It’s like getting kicked in the gut with a steel-toed boot,” local restaurant owner Will Newman told WKRN-TV.
“This will absolutely crush whatever restaurants are left, crush it. Small businesses in Nashville are on life support and you know our plea now is to metro council: Do the right thing and propose an alternate budget that is balanced in its approach and not shocking to the core.”
District 19 Councilman Freddie O’Connell said he has received many calls from restaurant owners who are concerned about the proposed increase.
“Thinking about a sharp property tax increase right now is really, really troubling to me,” he said.
“A small business by sometime next year is probably going to see their rent increase as they also try and deal with an economy that’s struggling to regain its footing.”
No one who lives in a city with a Democratic mayor should ever be surprised when tax increases are proposed.
The simple solution to eliminate that issue is to stop voting for Democrats.
“The mayor had ruled out cuts to cost-of-living adjustments for city employees.”
Mighty white of her.
L
couple of questions Mr. Mayor
1) are city employees required to live in the city?
2) why is cola cut not on the table as well as general pay cuts for all city employees?
3) Why are you not looking to slash employee benefits as well... as in PTO and vacation days.
Amazon destroyed legacy retail and is well positioned to become the largest virtual restaurant overnight. They could offer a free online movie to go with dinner.
Those words are music to a liberal's ears!
Tar and feather him
It is a small city. How can it possibly take $2.44 billion to run it?
And read where he’s letting that 250 million dollar sports stadium funding go through.
“Major cuts” resulting in a 5% increase in the budget. Idiot.
Buffoons, think money grows on trees.
“This is a crisis budget,”
Those words are music to a liberal’s ears!
Oh, God. I hadn’t thought of that. It’s an instant excuse to waive budget restrictions and spend like a drunken sailor on shore leave.
(No disrespect to drunken sailors on shore leave. Thank you for your service. Do not add to the population, do not subtract to the population. Stay out of jail. If you find yourself in jail establish dominance.)
We’re talkin black market situations now
Yes my mini warehouse complex in the Lakewood Old Hickory area of Nashville went from 15,700 in 1998 to 57,000 in 2012 when I sold it
Bredesen
Purcell
Dean
All raised rates ....crazy
That was 18% of annual revenues ..
Biggest line item after mortgage.
Yes my mini warehouse complex in the Lakewood Old Hickory area of Nashville went from 15,700 in 1998 to 57,000 in 2012 when I sold it
Dear mayor, please allow me to assist.
No more paid insurance.
No more paid days off.
No more defined benefit pension.
Cut every employees salary 20%
No vacation time or sick time. You get 2 days off a week. They’re called Saturday and Sunday.
Well this is ridiculous. I cannot believe they would do something like that these poor people were decimated; their livelihoods were decimated by the Coronavirus. I don’t know, we’ve got to come up with a name like oh, let’s see, how about Democrapirus or something like that. I’m sure some other, wittier FReeper can come up with something...
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