Guest Opinion
MAY 20, 2012 12:04 AM •Mary Street is a Member of the Orem City Council and Orem's representative on the UTOPIA and UIA Boards. Mary is Branch manager of Cushman and Wakefield Commerce Real Estate Solutions Cushman and Wakefield Commerce Mary Street
This Opinion appeared in the Daily Herald newspaper May 20, 2012. This is not the entire piece. Please refer to the link to see the entire article.
"The fact of the matter is that Orem city
runs a pretty lean operation, yet look at all that the city provides. In my
opinion, we have the best parks, senior center, rec center, and library in the
county; we have a well-trained and well-staffed Public Safety Department; we
have a well-trained and diligent Public Works Department that responds at all
hours to make sure the water flows when and where it is supposed to; we have
excellent management, accounting, utility billing -- I could go on, and on and
on.
How do we pay for all these great
services and amenities that we enjoy? The answer is with sales tax, mostly.
What happens if sales taxes go down?
What happens if expenses go up? Should we just cut back on paying for parks or
police? What should we do without? That is what we have to ask ourselves first.
It is far too easy to be a Robo-Caller
and say "Don't raise taxes you nasty old city council people!" To the
Robo-Caller I say, "Man up!" It is downright spineless to use fear to
manipulate good people to recite mindless anti-tax rhetoric. Use your talent,
your brains, and your bankroll to help find solutions. If you are going to pay
for a robo-call, at least make sure that the information you present is
factual.
What if we do consider a property tax
increase? Look at all the parks we care for, the public safety services we
provide. If you had to pay an extra $10 a month to maintain these, would it be
worth it?
I think we have been a bargain for a
long time, but we need to make sure that we are sustainable. We have to make
sure that we are taking care of our community, not just "using it up;
wearing it out; making do; or doing without."
If we don't cut things out of our
budget, and if we don't approve a property tax increase, where will the money
come from? That's a really good question and one that doesn't have an easy
answer. In the long run, we need to talk with our state congressmen and
senators about legislation that provides funding models for cities that don't
rely so heavily on sales tax. Yeah ... wrap your mind around that one. Ideas,
anyone? Robo-Caller?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting
that your next call says something like: "Orem citizens are planning a
property tax hike because they shop online to save a few pennies instead of
buying local and paying sales tax! Penny-wise and pound-foolish, some say. If
you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding. How can you have your
pudding if you don't eat your meat? Are parks and police important to you? How
can you have them if you don't pay your sales sax?" No, I'm not suggesting
that is the answer, but it makes about as much sense as doing a Robo-Call
suggesting people speak out against a property tax increase without taking the
time to understand the bigger picture."
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