Cabarrus Cheap Seats

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• 1 Mark D // Mar 4, 2007 at 12:31 pm

  Thanks for the hat tip on Mr. Privette, Justin.

  The political landscape is getting even more gritty, here in Union County, as the ‘Developer Majority’ of commissioners are getting an ear-full about a needed 17 cent tax increase needed to keep Union afloat. (Our tax rate is 63.7 per $100)

  From the Charlotte Observer:
  The commissioners’ new majority was not happy to face any tax increase. Commissioner Allan Baucom, who took office in December, blamed the financial situation on previous boards. He said they should have cut expenses, raised taxes or a combination of the two.

  Chairman Kevin Pressley rejected the idea of raising taxes.

  “To me that’s unacceptable,” Pressley said. “That’s the easy way out — a tax increase.”

  Commissioner Parker Mills said the county would have to cut expenses.

  “There’s ways we can save money and we know we can,” he said.

  There is SO much development in Union County that ‘DOES NOT’ pay for itself, that we need 25 more schools in 5 years — thus the 17 cent increase.

  Mind you, this figure doesn’t include the operating costs for the schools that increase 25% per year or other Union County government costs.

  So it’s all the more ludicrous to read a quote from our ‘Developer’ Chairman Kevin Pressley saying “To me that’s unacceptable, that’s the easy way out — a tax increase.”

  I got news for him — unmanaged development has lead to Union County to the verge Charlotte like taxes — with no roads and none of the amenities.

  More than that, these guys are so indebted to the developer community that we will lose the next 2 years before the voters of Union County can elect a board capable of taking the corrective action.

  In the mean time the gold rush continues.