Cabarrus Cheap Seats

Here was the question:

From 1999 to 2004, the majority of the county’s debt load moved abruptly from voter-approved bonds to non-voter approved instruments. Debt service is the fastest growing part of the budget and is the only major part of the budget significantly outpacing population growth and inflation. With these debt service payments taking up more and more of our budget, what do you propose to do to keep the tax burden managable for my generation - as our County Commissions won’t have the luxury of spending more than we took in as past Commissions have.

Here are the answers:

Coy Privette

The county must learn to live within its income. For example, if we have a 3% growth in revenues, then, we must limit increases in agencies’ budgets to no more than 3%…

Grace Mynatt

Increasing indebtedness is a result of unbalanced growth. Those of us who live here now and Cabarrus County based businesses should have the priority in fashioning how the county will grow and how growth generated needs will be funded. I have concerns about what I would call “hit and run” development that contributes little more than congestion, poor environments and additional burdens on those who are here today…

Jay White

The county’s debt has exploded about as fast as the residential growth in Cabarrus County. We must get it under control. Our county’s debt more than doubled from 1998 to 2000 and has continued to increase well over 200%. There has been a significant change in the ratio of voter approved debt to nonvoter debt (commissioner-approved, not citizen-approved). In 1998 seventy-five (75%) percent of the county’s debt of approximately $80 million was approved by the voters and twenty-five (25%) percent was not approved by the voters. These percentages flipped in 2000 when the commissioners approved debt without the approval of the voters…

Robert Freeman

We must start living within our means. More and more people that I talk to are complaining that our taxes are too high. We have senior citizens who are not taking their medicine because we are taxing people to death…

Larry Griffin

The real answer us to change our balance of growth. If we do that it will allow us to borrow less. Balanced growth will pay more of the growth bills. This will allow us to not spend more than we take in…

Carolyn Carpenter

In the past year this board has taken positive steps to rein in this type of
growth that causes taxes to rise due to the amount of services required.
It has not been an easy task as there have been two commissioners who
have done everything possible to keep the board from taking these
positive actions which will result in lower taxes and less debt for the
county.