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I'm not shocked at all either. All you people who moved there in droves knew it was going to have to happen. How was the infrastructure going to support the boom in population? When I sold our house and moved to our new one, all I heard from EVERYONE was you really should have moved to Union county, why did you stay in Charlotte? Well, your tax rate will now be almost the same as mine, and I get more and better services.
Mecklenburg used tax creep over the years and taxed at a level to not put the county in a crisis. This way, they have money to waste and still take care of basic needs. Union County's growth by way of Mecklenburg families moving across the line is a major part in the demand for school services. I can't blame anyone who moves to Union County, but there is a price. If "leaders" were leading, they would not worry about saving their political skin and do the right then. But then, what pols are going to do the right thing. It's all about getting re-elected.
LOL.... 15.4% increase in property taxes in 1 year is huge Mikey.
I like how you used a house that was valued at $213,500 and said that it would only see a property tax increase of $150 per year, and used this years YTD in sales price to get that value for home prices. What percentage of homes in Union County will have a tax assessed value of only $213,500 or less? Most will be valued higher some much higher. This is going to hurt people especially those on fixed incomes. I think people expected property taxes to go up, but not by such a large margin in one year.
Getting property tax levels near or above the surrounding counties, while offering less services, will only hurt home values and local businesses. If you were to add the yearly fee that a homeowner has to pay for the garbage pickup into the equation, some homeowners would be paying pretty close to the same Mecklenburg County property tax rate after this increase by Union County.
Lastly, if the County loses the appeal on the lawsuit from the School Board, get ready to get another property tax hike in 2016 , and possibly pay more property taxes than Mecklenburg County. Whoever would have thought that a few years ago?
Just curious, did you buy a house in Union County or are you still renting?
As a percentage, it is huge - I won't argue that... But I tried to use some context related to how reasonable the taxes were to this point. It went up this big because they haven't raised them even when they were supposed to for covering previous bond(s). When they didn't raise them as agreed, of course we see a single bigger spike to catch-up.
I jumped on MLS and looked at the latest report for median sales as a way to determine the big picture impact across the whole county. Of course you'll see higher (much higher) in certain pockets. But remember "median" is a good statistical indicator because you have the same number of homes selling below as you do above that. Yes, people on fixed incomes will be disproportionately impacted by an increase, but it's highly doubtful they spent $1M+ and are living in PDS. They are more likely to be buying closer to median. If you double the $213k home @ about an increase of $12 a month, you're looking at about $25 a month increase for a $425,000 home... Not exact, just estimating to try and put context on the giant percentage you keep bolding.
I agree that we get less services than Meck for our tax dollars - no doubt. I wish we had their parks, etc. But, again it's not a surprise as we knew what was happening right before our eyes. The lawsuit is not going to stay at $91M - it will get settled lower. So yes we will see a spike due to it, but it won't be sky's falling as bad as you are trying to make it. It's kind of like the people who got redistricted and are complaining that the new budget is to pay for the schools to handle the redistricted kids... when we all know from the lawsuit that the planned upgrades were happening regardless - the additional costs for schools were not a result of the redistricting. Let's hope we get a good BOCC to plan out our future.
I rented while I built... I pay the same taxes on a horribly over assessed home like everyone else.
Why should residents of Marshville, Wingate, New Salem, Roughedge, Alton, Trinity, etc. pay for growth in Waxhaw, Weddington, Indian Trail, and Stallings?
We are one county remember? There is no division by area or district... Those residents knew that when they moved here and should be thrilled about this exciting new opportunity to fund such a fine well managed school system.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZnGuy
Bound to go up. Taxes still reasonable, schools need the money for growth and I have no kids in school..
What school growth? I assure you, this money will not fund school growth (i.e., expansion, new construction, etc.)
Meck County and Inner city CLT have been paying higher property taxes for years. I always thought it was not exactly fair that we pay such higher rates for city improvements, while drones of people from the outskirts drive in here every weekend and enjoy all the inner city improvements, all without paying a dime in taxes. Welcome to to club, it's nice to see you here.
I'm not stunned just outraged that the poor and elderly who are in no way responsible are going to have to sacrifice to pay for the out of control growth and some people's unreasonable expectations for level of services. Much of Union County has nothing to do with the growth. Why should residents of Marshville, Wingate, New Salem, Roughedge, Alton, Trinity, etc. pay for growth in Waxhaw, Weddington, Indian Trail, and Stallings?
That is unfortunate. Perhaps a bit more insightfulness at the ballot box could have helped. I tell my daughters, you can never take even a second off from a) thinking, and b) being vigilant. Wish it were not that way.
I'm not stunned just outraged that the poor and elderly who are in no way responsible are going to have to sacrifice to pay for the out of control growth and some people's unreasonable expectations for level of services. Much of Union County has nothing to do with the growth. Why should residents of Marshville, Wingate, New Salem, Roughedge, Alton, Trinity, etc. pay for growth in Waxhaw, Weddington, Indian Trail, and Stallings?
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Originally Posted by WaxhawMike
We are one county remember? There is no division by area or district... Those residents knew that when they moved here and should be thrilled about this exciting new opportunity to fund such a fine well managed school system.
That is the most asinine thing I have heard out of anyone yet. Those residents didn't move here. For the most part, people in those areas have lived here their whole lives. They are definitely not "thrilled about this exciting new opportunity" to fund schools for other communities. I'm going to assume you are being facetious.
Last edited by BubbaHelms; 07-02-2014 at 12:19 PM..
The lawsuit is not going to stay at $91M - it will get settled lower. So yes we will see a spike due to it, but it won't be sky's falling as bad as you are trying to make it. It's kind of like the people who got redistricted and are complaining that the new budget is to pay for the schools to handle the redistricted kids... when we all know from the lawsuit that the planned upgrades were happening regardless - the additional costs for schools were not a result of the redistricting. Let's hope we get a good BOCC to plan out our future.
We finally agree on something. The tax increase has nothing to do with redistricting. I'm really biting my tongue about Citizens for Adequate Public Schools' latest attempt at public manipulation. I can't believe they have the audacity to complain about spending $19.5 million to maintain and repair schools when we went HALF A BILLION in debt to fund new schools. I wonder which was the real cause of the tax increase.
Posted by Site Admin on July 1, 2014 Contrary to the Union County Board of Education’s promises, the county wide redistricting does in fact have a price tag. With great disappointment, the Union County Commissioners approved an exorbitant 15.4% tax increase on ALL residents of Union County. The majority of this tax increase will be for discretionary spending. They have increased their budget over last year and will have nothing to show for it besides reassigning 5,800 students. This budget will not result in a pay-raise for our teachers, there are no new facilities, and there is no accountability for how this money will be spent. The BOE promised redistricting would be free and now they are demanding that every Union County resident pay for it.
WHAT BALONEY!!!! CAPS talks out of both sides of their mouths about working for the benefit of all schools in Union County.
Last edited by BubbaHelms; 07-02-2014 at 12:24 PM..
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I'm going to assume you are being facetious.
