ACTION ALERT: City Fees Assessment 83% increase proposed. This is a tax increase!

[Patricia M. McBride]

We need to stay on top of this.  This IS a tax increase and a large one at that on everyone including those out of work and struggling to make ends meet.  This is an absolute travesty and is being done in such an underhanded, sneaky way, the city council and the new mayor should be VERY ashamed!

 

2010 Solid Waste Certified Assessment Amount

Solid Waste Fee82.95

Certified Solid Waste Assessment: $82.95

2011 Proposed Assessments

2011 Stormwater Proposed AssessmentAmount

Stormwater Fee $90.00

Proposed Stormwater Assessment: $90.00

2011 Solid Waste Proposed AssessmentAmount

Solid Waste Fee151.80

Proposed Solid Waste Assessment: $151.80

Proposed assessments subject to change until final assessment is certified.

THIS REPRESENTS AN 83% INCREASE !!

AND WE WERE TOLD OUR TAXES WOULDN’T BE INCREASED !!

First public hearing is at 5:00 PM Tues. 13 Sept. 2011

At Council Chambers, 117 W. Duval St. across from

Hemming Plaza. PLEASE show up and speak against this

“Robber Baron” action being attempted!!

[Patricia M. McBride]

Truly, they have been reading our Emails as I have gotten responses from 2 people thus far.  One was positive and the other was not.  I covered other things besides this issue by itself though and the negative was more about something else I said and note the beaches showed up directly after this info showed up in the paper and requested a waiver for this year and it would be huge for them and not counted on.  Writing really does do some good, but yes, looking back to see who voted this in is a very good idea!

[Robert]

First, identify the YES Votes. Who and get them out. Then 10,000 FCTP folks show up at City Hall. Calling these people is like writing, circurlar file right to the trash. Demand meetings, make then answer and work. The economy is in a mess, Jax will be another Detroit if these political hacks and liars are not made to answer. The city spending is out of control.

[Patricia M. McBride]

Dan indicated he went back and found they had basically passed a bill allowing the rates to be raised this year.  I didn't know they were raising the fee.  Did you?  But the city council and they mayor knew it and counted on the increase it the city budget and I gather we were not supposed to notice we were paying a whopping increase in the fee (which is far greater than a property tax increase could by law be).  I personally see a pattern that increases our cost to live i Jacksonville every single year even though incomes are not going up to compensate for the money taken from us.  To say they didn't do it, is really weak.  They knew it was going to happen and most of us didn't realize this had been put in place and the increase should not have been allowed to happen.  Dan mentioned bill 2011-405 which is the budget bill and part of the money counted on to balance the budget was this increase.  And then, we have all that money Mayor Brown wanted including a kitty to use at his discretion for 2 million.  I am sick at heart at what our elected officials are doing on the local and federal level and not happy about some of the things I now know have happened at the state level. 

 

What should we do.  Should we write and ask to have the increase overturned?  It does not good to say one will not increase taxes and/or fees if you know people are going to get hit with a whopper anyway.  And blaming it on the tea party is getting old.  We are members of an organization but first and foremost, we are taxpayers in this city and trying to take our right to voice an opinion away based on membership in a group or organization is ludicrus.  That's like saying if you go to a certain church you shouldn't have a voice or the chamber or any other organization.  Do they even realize how weak kneed it sounds?

[85MCstang]

I certainly don't like it any better but I do feel we need to make sure we have the facts and so that is why I posted the reply I received. If what they say is true then we need to ask them to rescind or overturn this decision. If it is not true then we need to pursue the present course. Is there any member out there that can verify that this is or is not a completely factual reply or is it obfuscation?

[Patricia M. McBride]

85, do you feel better after that explanation that was supposed to let us know that they pushed this through last year while we apparently weren't right on top of every single thing being done.  And a fee is a tax.  It is not like oh gee it's only a fee.  It is a tax imposed on us by the city to get more money to keep their boat a float instead of cutting and getting rid of the fees.  There should not be fees on top of property taxes since the charter which some favor quoting says things like garbage pickup are covered by property taxing and spreading out all these little extra fees is to make it look like they haven't raised property taxes but they indeed have as the fees add up when they increase one or two of them every single year.

[85MCstang]

I just received this FYI:

 

From: Harding, Abel
Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 3:35 PM
To: CM
Cc: SS; Deal, Jessica
Subject: Heads up on Stormwater Fee Question

Hello all –

I wanted to give you a heads up on a blog post done by the First Coast Tea Party that claims Mayor Brown’s budget includes an 83 percent tax increase. At issue is the city’s Solid Waste Fee, which is listed as a proposed fee of $151.80 on the 2011 statements that went out from the Property Appraiser’s Office. This fee was billed at $82.95 on the 2010 statements.

The tea party has asked its membership to show up in force at tonight’s meeting to protest the “hike.”

Quite simply, there is no hike. Mayor Brown promised a balanced budget that did not raise taxes or fees and did not dip into the city’s reserves. The budget he presented to the City Council on July 15, 2011, fulfilled that promise.

The Solid Waste Fee is a fee that is billed in arrears. The previous administration proposed increasing the fee from $5 per month to $12.65 per month, legislation that passed the council in April 2010 and went into effect on Oct. 1, 2010. The 2010 billing included the first nine months of the year at the lower rate and the last three months of the year at the higher rate, thus the difference between a 2010 bill and a proposed 2011 statement.

I understand the issue is confusing for some constituents and I’m happy to answer any questions to help explain it.

Please let me know if I can be of assistance on the matter,

-Abel

_______________________________

Abel Harding

Director of Communications

Office of Mayor Alvin Brown

[Patricia M. McBride]

Certainly, it was very nice of Mr. Lumb to write and explain what happened, but that does not change the fact, that taxes have been increased in one of the sneakiest under handed manners I can think of.  Just saying the last group did it (or as Obama would say "Bush did it"), does not make me feel any better.  They need to take an action to roll this back.  The days of us not noticing when they are robbing us blind are over.  No one has had an increase in their income except government on all levels, and they are also responsible at the federal level for huge increases in the cost of living caused by federal money policies..........ie inflation.  Just how much do these folks think they can steal from us to keep their over the top expansive governments all rolling.  I wrote and said please get rid of all the commissions and the rest of the foolishness that has nothing to do with city services and is more social engineering garbage.  It is time for them to start making cuts in programs they have no business at all being involved in.  And I don't want to hear but the charter allows.  The charter has a number of things in it that are "unconstitutional' period.  And they can get rid of the charitable giving with tax dollars considering many people they are taking money from to give away to their favorite charities don't even have jobs!   I am so mad at these folks.  There is no excuse for this at all.

[85MCstang]

Not sure the reply really addresses the situation but at least I got a reply.

[85MCstang]

I received the following reply from Robin Lumb:

The proposed City budget for 2011/2012 does not increase any taxes or fees. This is the budget that is currently under review and that will be voted on next month after it has gone through public hearings.

Therefore your e-mail was of great concern to me. After receiving it I asked the administration for an explanation.

Here’s what I’ve discovered:

The Solid Waste Fee is billed in areas. The invoice you’ve received is for service that was rendered during the previous six months and reflects that charges that were authorized by the previous administration and by the previous City Council and were incorporated, as a matter of law, into the 2010 / 2011 budget that was passed nearly a year ago.

This is a very difficult period financially for the City and it citizens. I am opposed increased taxes and fees and will work diligently to ensure that they are not part of future budgets.

Best regards,

Robin Lumb, Jacksonville City Council

Group 5 – At Large

[Daniel R. Carr]

 

 

 

Dear Mayor Brown,Council President Joost,& Council Members,

It was with great relief that I welcomed the "No Tax Increase" pledge

for 2011-2012 after enduring 2 consecutive years of the previous

Administration's huge increases. The "Balanced Budget" was great news!

The Public Notice in Sunday's Times-Union on page B-3 dispelled any myth

that efforts are being made to contain fees (a.k.a taxes); an increase

of 83.0 (eighty-three!!)percent on Solid Waste Collection was quietly

announced.My fixed income has not increased at all in the last 3 years - 

and now I'm told that someone in No-Bid Solid Waste Collection needs an 

83% increase, with a potential additional 42.3%! I understand that waste 

collection costs are rising, and are not fully covered by fees. How  

did we ever cope before the fees were instituted?

In researching this issue, it is noted that Bill 2010-673 in August 2010

was enacted so as to automatically give Council the freedom to again 

increase the fee by a compounded 42.3% after 2011, for a total of 125.3% 

possible increase in 2 years.

And this after campaigning on "No Tax Increase"! Where is the sanity 

in this? How much can the populace endure, especially in these hard times?

This is not the type of action for which voters elected you.

From the City Charter: 

Section 9. - Annual audit. 

"The legislative body of the city shall require an annual independent 

audit of the solid waste disposal and resource recovery system by a

qualified certified public accountant and shall make available a 

copy of the audit report to all municipal and private entities 

utilizing the system within 90 days after the close of the fiscal 

year to which the audit pertains. Separate accounts and records shall 

be maintained by the solid waste disposal and resource recovery system, 

and its funds shall not be commingled with the general funds of the city." 

Question 1:So………..did the last audit determine that fees must increase 

by 83%, and subsequently another 42.3% on top of that? 

Section 18. - Extraction of materials. 

"Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit or limit private waste 

collectors from extracting from the waste they collect within the area 

affected by this act any materials that may have value to such collectors

 for purposes of recycling, reuse, or resale; provided, however, the 

city may adopt reasonable restrictions and regulations concerning such 

extraction within the area affected by this act for the protection of 

the public health,safety, and welfare." 

Question 2:So………..the trash collectors can remove all the aluminum cans 

&am