Commission split on tax increase pledge

From the Lincoln Times-News

By ALICE SMITH, LTN Staff Writer

January 22, 2003 – Two members on the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners have pledged that they won’t raise taxes this year.

Commissioner Carrol Mitchem has signed a pledge from the watchdog group Citizens for Sound Economy, and Commissioner James “Buddy” Funderburk has indicated that he will also sign.

Other commissioners said that while no elected official wants to raise taxes, it’s too early in the game to make such a decision.

Commissioners Larry Craig and Tom Anderson and commission Chairman Jerry Cochrane all declined to sign.

“I think it’s something that limits the flexibility of an elected official,” Anderson said.

“What you have to do is make sure the county budget is fiscally sound. That does not necessarily mandate raising taxes, but it does mandate looking very hard at our spending, and I think that’s what’s going to be done.”

No commissioner has any desire to raise taxes, Anderson said.

Craig agreed.

“My intention is to do everything within my power to try to keep taxes at the same level, but I’m not going to sacrifice Lincoln County’s needs to keep that,” Craig said. “It’s foolish to make a promise that will jeopardize the county in the long run.”

Mitchem and Funderburk, who were both elected in November, are sticking to their campaign promises of extreme-conservatism.

Burdening the residents and business owners in Lincoln County is not the answer to the budget problem, Mitchem said.

“You cannot continue — with the economic times the way they are — to burden the people of Lincoln County,” Mitchem said. “I’ll vote to my dying day … that there will be no tax increase.

“But the people in Lincoln County are going to have to get real — you can’t want, want, want and not have a tax increase.”

Funderburk was unavailable for comment Thursday and Friday.

The three commissioners who did not sign the pledge also cited a need for time to get into the budget and understand the county’s needs before making any decisions.

“I can’t make a decision on anything of that significance until I see the whole package,” Cochrane said. “It’s going to be a difficult budget year, and we’re going to do everything we can to keep the tax rate at what we’ve got.”

Craig said it’s hard to make a decision without knowing what’s in the budget and where the county is going.

“There are a lot of things out there that will impact our decision,” Anderson said. “Part of the problems we have as county commissioners, at least at this stage, is that we have no idea what the school system is going to request in funds — that is the biggest single item in the county budget.”

Anderson is part of a sub-committee that will “look hard at the school budget” and see where funds are going and what commissioners should be doing.

He also noted that most of the public might not be aware that county commissioners only control about 27 percent of funds in the budget. The rest is mandated by federal and state governments.

“So much of the money that makes up the county budget is determined by federal and state law as to where it goes,” Anderson said. “Nobody in elected office chooses to raise taxes, we’re forced to because it’s required by law.”

Jason Saine, grass roots manager for CSE in Western North Carolina, said the main goal of the pledge is to keep taxes as low as possible. CSE strives to educate the public and to prompt public discussion and debate about political issues.

“Government is too big and takes too much of our money,” Saine said. “We want to save the taxpayers money. We’re trying to implement anything we can to give them a reason not to raise taxes.”

CSE advocates zero-budgeting — starting at zero every year — and wants the board to prioritize the county’s needs.

“When the money runs out, that’s when they (should) stop funding,” Saine said.

Saine said the non-partisan group has nothing against any commissioner personally, they just hope residents will take an active role in their local government and question things.

“We want to get into the fray and make this a debate, not to be combative or pick a fight,” Saine said. “Sometimes we philosophically disagree … .”

People need to be informed of what is happening, he said, and take notice of all the issues, not just those directly affecting them.

And when they can’t do that, CSE hopes to fill in the gaps.

“Our folks, taxpayers, work regular jobs. They don’t have time to watch government night and day. But we try to do that for them and train them about how they can do that, too.”