Sunday - July 15, 2007

Hamilton County Voters Collect Enough Signatures to Put Sales Tax to Vote 

In a previous post, we reported how the Democrats on the Hamilton County Commission voted raise the county sales tax by half a cent for a new jail, doing so despite the voters rejected this very idea just six months ago.

Our stance was and still is, that the increase in the sales tax is a bad idea.  First and foremost, when the people say no, they mean "no."  Apparently Pepper and Portune share the same arrogance and disdain for their constituents as Voinovich displayed last month on the Hannity show.  Furthermore, Cincinnati and Hamilton County already are overtaxed.  Adding just one more tax will simply drive more people and more business to Northern Kentucky, South East Indiana, or Butler and Clermont Counties who have lower tax rates.

Everyone who lives in Hamilton County agrees that we need more jail space.  Unfortunately, our commissioners took the easy route when trying to fund it.  Raising taxes is the route of least resistance, but when your constituents have told you, in a general election, that they do not want to raise taxes in order to build it, you have to live with that decision.  Our commissioners needed to make difficult choices, as in cutting other services to build a new jail.  Instead, they not only chickened out, they have challenged the sovereign will and wisdom of the people.

Luckily, it seems that the people of Hamilton County have responded and gathered more than enough signatures to put this tax hike on the ballot.  It seems Hamilton County taxpayers will have to say no once again.

Some oppose raising the sales tax in Hamilton County for a new jail and public safety initiative - others don't.

But either way, there are a claimed 56,951 people in Hamilton County who want voters to decide the issue, the WeDemandAVote coalition said Friday.

That many signatures were wheeled into County Auditor Dusty Rhodes' office Friday to hold off the 0.5-percentage point sales tax increase, in hopes it will be placed on the November ballot.

That's nearly double the number needed. If 28,750 of the signatures are valid, voters can decide the $777 million sales tax that would pay for public-safety programs and a $198 million, 1,800-bed jail.

Author: The Machiavellian
Technorati Tags: Hamilton County Sales Tax
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