Published: April 21, 2009 11:02 pm      

Voicing doubts

Garrett residents speak out against constant yield tax rate

OAKLAND — Though the Garrett County commissioners held a public meeting about the constant yield tax rate on Tuesday, there were many there who questioned if their opinions would be considered.

“My question to you is, all of us that are here opposing this, does this really matter,” said Debbie Beitzel of McHenry. “This affects me. This affects you. To raise taxes right now on everybody that can’t afford their bills, their food, it’s sad. Do you care about us?”

There were several in attendance who voiced doubts, saying the public hearing was just a matter of policy, not that it would have any effect on the commissioners’ proposal to keep the current tax rate at $1 per $100 assessed value on property. The constant yield rate, to ensure the county receives the same amount of tax dollars from property taxes as the previous year, was $.946 per $100.

“I’m here to oppose this tax increase,” said Troy Ellington of Oakland. “I pay more taxes, it’s an increase. It’s already a tough economic environment. It will make the stagnant real estate market even worse. The constant yield provision was created to prevent disguised tax increases such as the one proposed.”

Remaining with the current tax rate rather than the constant yield, the county said, would bring in $2,366,511 more in county revenue.

Commissioner Denny Glotfelty said the reason officials were considering the action was because the state has already cut $2.9 million from its funding to the county.

Some in the crowd of about 40 residents said that would be reason to reduce and “trim the fat” from the budget rather than keeping it flat from previous years.

The budget was also an issue of concern for many, as the county had not completed it and had it available for the public to view prior to the hearing.

“We’re facing a tax increase in a vacuum with no budget (to look at),” said James “Smokey” Stanton, representing the Garrett County Democratic Central Committee. “People can’t afford to keep bearing the weight. You must manage our resources in a much more effective way. I know it’s going to take a long time for the economy to turn around.”

The commissioners said because the state only got its budget completed on April 13, they did not have a definite budget drafted yet for the county.

Susan Athey-Oxford of Oakland said without some form of accountability — definite answers to what the money has been spent on in the last year — people are going to oppose the increase in tax revenue coming from residents. She said the public wanted to see how their money was being spent and where it might go over anticipated budgeted amounts. She said even if the county provided the budget as it has done in previous years, that budget does not typically contain the sort of detail that she said she feels others would like to see.

The commissioners’ proposal also includes continuing their tax differential with the town of Mountain Lake Park, giving the town residents a cut in the tax rate, for duplication of service. However, as in fiscal year 2009, the town of Oakland will not receive the differential, which was agreed upon by the town and the county.

When making their decision about the tax rate, Stanton asked the commissioners to consider those in incorporated towns that get hit not only by state and county taxes but also by town taxes.

Jane Avery of Oakland commented on her own situation, asking the commissioners how she was expected to pay $10,000 in county taxes on her property in Oakland and the house at the lake her father built and still function on her retirement from being a school teacher in Garrett County.

“I could live on tea and toast, and I have a car that’s good on gas,” Avery said. “I walk nearly everywhere ... I just want to know, how do I do it? People say ‘Sell the place at the lake,’ but should I have to?”

Several at the meeting asked the county to look back at a time when things were not so prosperous and see how the county operated without extra funding.

Bob Kelly of McHenry suggested that the problem was not just the tax rate, but the ever-increasing property assessments. He said it was something worthy of a class action lawsuit to see those assessments drop down and lower the taxes with them.

The commissioners said they hoped to have the budget out in the next few weeks and that the final decision on the tax rate would be made in June.

Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@times-news.com.