Good Civic Partnership

Well, here we go again. Another year of higher home values, higher property tax payments and people trying to pacify our concerns by saying that there have been no changes made. They may as well tell us it is raining after they throw some water in the air. Or better yet, just tell us to be quiet and go home, the same home that has had its valuation increased for the third straight year prompting an increase in the amount of money it takes to pay the property tax bill.

In the midst of rising costs of utilities, goods and services, the citizenry is being squeezed on multiple levels. A penny tax here and a fee increase there begin to add up. Utility companies have been given approval to increase their rates. The rates and fees for water and sanitation have been increasing for several years. Every price increase in the stores produce more revenue because of SPLOST. Inflated prices, higher fees and increased interest rates all impact us in a real and meaningful way. In the meantime, the average income in our area has not increased with the rising of the property values.

One of the drawing points of this community is that many of these rates and fees are lower than surrounding areas. It is a partnership between the citizen and the community that requires times to ask more of each other and to expect more of each other in order to continue to thrive and grow. The city and county governmental authorities have the ability to rollback the millage rate to help reduce the impact of escalating property values in the midst of stagnant incomes.

Development, population growth and additional streams of revenue, like the hotel/motel taxes, speed enforcement cameras and penny taxes, are other creative ways to increase available funding for the services necessary to make our community thrive. All of these have been a benefit to help spread the fiscal responsibility around. Some of these things we have no local control over but our county and city elected officials can provide some relief for its citizenry by rolling back the millage to reduce the impact of the accelerated increase in property valuations.

The collaboration between companies and the community helps to create jobs while our elected official extends to those companies’ discounts for being here, where it is appropriate, for those who partner with us. In the same way, the people who have made the decision to make this place their home are partners also, who deserve to be extended some of the appropriate courtesies any good business partner would receive.

HHJ News