At the joint meeting of the Town Council and County Commission today we saw a well choreographed example of political theater by Don Frank and Sarah Flitner. Flitner initially voted for the proposal to use SPET to fund the so-called Community Priorities Fund (You know it’s a bad thing when they use euphemisms to name the tax.), with Frank voting holding out for his 1/2 penny SPET plus 1/2 penny General Sales Tax compromise. The SPET proposal failed. Then both Frank and Flitner jumped on the General Sales Tax bandwagon when the next vote was taken having made their token gestures for political cover. Rhea, Macker, Newcomb, and Stanford voted consistently for the General Fund tax and against the SPET. Vogelheim, Lenz and Allen voted consistently against the General Sales Tax and for the SPET.
With Flitner and Frank’s support the General Sales Tax proposal carried the day and will be presented as a resolution in February. If it is passed by the electeds then the voters will get to decide in the November general elections. The proposal will be to eliminate the 6th cent SPET tax and replace it with a 6th cent General Sales Tax. The SPET needs to be for specific amounts of money for specific projects each approved by the voters. The General Sales Tax can be used by the electeds at their discretion, and can’t be repealed by the voters for 4 years.
All you need to know is that if this passes in November then all the special interests that always have their hands out for SPET will push with all their might to have SPET reinstated as a 7th cent.
Will the voters have the wisdom and the will to reject this massive expansion of local government? Government grows, hires more employees, gives out more subsidies, until a majority of the valley is dependent on government. Free markets, freedom, and independence will then be permanently replaced by dependence, waste, cronyism and an invasive local government that will do it’s best to manage every aspect of our lives.