Flood Control Taxes Are Going Up

Following a trend, at today’s Flood Control Zone District, I ended up the lone vote against the new property tax levy rate. As chair, I had proposed we continue the 1% cap on the property tax that I had successfully passed in previous years. That’s the same cap state law applies to all other local government services (the Legislature exempted itself two years ago).

Instead, the Executive and Council passed a 40% increase, which will generate $3.9m additional dollars (for a total of $12.8m).

I agree that we have a significant flood control problem on the other side of the county. But we also have many other needs that are stifled by the State’s 1% cap on property tax increases.

Most frustrating was the admission from the Executive’s staff that our flooding problems are growing worse because of the impacts of climate change. For several months the Executive and Council majority have resisted even watered-down versions of my sustainability bill.

In other words, you’re going to pay many millions fighting symptoms of a crisis your elected leaders won’t even admit exists. Just today, I received new compromise language with the word “climate” scrubbed from the bill.

So instead, we’re going back to the original suggestion from the Executive and Council majority. We’ll deal with sustainability in the budget in a series of amendments. My vote on the final budget will depend on their outcome.