Editor: BREC wants to raise taxes

BREC is considering a proposal to raise taxes, without a vote of the people, during a meeting at 5 p.m. today, reports Business Report Executive Editor JR Ball. The officials at BREC will argue this is not a tax increase; instead, they will suggest that tonight's vote to roll forward the property tax millage to 14.463 mills, from 14.038 mills, is simply a way to generate more revenue from taxes already approved by voters. If approved by a two-thirds vote of commissioners, the millage hike will generate an additional $1.488 million for BREC's budget next fiscal year. BREC Superintendent Carolyn McKnight says the increase is necessary due to increasing costs and inflation. The easy response to McKnight's position is that all of us, including taxpayers, are struggling to keep our financial books balanced, and perhaps BREC should look to cut expenses—and eliminate money-losing programs—rather than forcing taxpayers to dig deeper into their own pockets. The more probing response is that BREC collects higher property tax revenues every year already, so why does it need an even bigger boost? Also, why does it need a boost that is larger than the tax initially proposed? Read the full column here; send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.

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