Aberdeen residents flooded City Hall on Monday night to oppose a 24-cent property tax hike the city is considering in order to fill a $2 million deficit, but many offered to help the city find other solutions.
More than 100 people attended the council?s public hearing on the proposed budget for fiscal 2007, drawn by City Manager Doug Miller?s proposed rise in city property tax from 55 cents to 79 cents per $100 of a home?s assessed value. For a home worth $200,000, the annual city taxes would go from $1,100 to $1,580.
“Everywhere we look, we?re getting increases,” said Thelma Patterson Davis, a resident of Westgate Road.
Davis joined several others who feared the proposed hike would combine with rising gas prices and energy costs to create crushing debt for the average homeowner.
Other residents feared the hike would strain those who live on fixed incomes and might spur an exodus of residents forced out by unaffordable taxes.
“Next year, the government?s going to give me my 3 percent in Social Security, take 2 percent back for Medicare and say ?There?s what you have to live on,? ” said Patrick Faircloth, a resident of Southgate Road.
“I don?t think you want to see a wholesale turnover of the citizens who live here,” said former state Del. Barbara Osborn Kreamer.
Several residents called for the city to form a committee that would draw on residents? expertise to look for expenses to cut and other revenues to be tapped, but Council Member Michael Hiob said he doubted there would be time to do so before a budget must be enacted in July.
“This dilemma has more than one solution. … It?s not a silver bullet to go to the homeowners and say ?Gimme,? ” said Art Magness, who called for the city to lower expenses and limit its new projects. “Now is not the time for new horizons. Now is not the time for new dreams. Now is the time to address the problems we have right now.”
Mayor Fred Simmons said the city government would spend this week searching the budget for expenses to pare down and revenues to beef up, and invited further resident input before the council votes on the budget Monday.
