Sunday, August 23, 1998

Tax hikes call for individual examination

Abilene taxpayers must feel they're in the middle of an intersection with three truckloads of tax hikes barreling down on them from different directions and wonder why this is all happening at once.

First, the Abilene Independent School District is asking for a 9.4 percent property tax increase that will add $64 to the average homeowner's bill. Second, Taylor County commissioners are looking at a budget that will raise homeowner's taxes by 8 percent, an average of $21 each. Third, although the city of Abilene is keeping its property tax rate flat, higher property valuations will mean higher taxes for some, and the city is anticipating a bond issue soon to shore up the city's infrastructure.

Is there a conspiracy afoot to persecute Abilene taxpayers? Have our local officials suddenly turned into a bunch of wild-eyed, tax-and-spend liberals?

Each tax increase needs to be evaluated on its own merits. Let's look first at the AISD hike because it's the easiest to justify. It should be obvious on even a moment's reflection that we need to prepare the workforce of the future to move forward. If we hold back on our children's education, we're hurting them and ourselves. We must strive to make this generation better than the last, not worse.

Moreover, the AISD's need for more local taxes is not the result of increased spending. In fact, the new AISD budget is $171,790 below last year's. What's driving this local tax hike is the district's loss of more than $2 million in state funds from last year -- an effect of Texas taxpayers having screamed that their state taxes are too high. Over the past decade, local school property taxes have increased 85 percent across Texas but only 44 percent in Abilene. Education here is still a bargain.

The county's situation is more problematic. One reason for this tax hike is that inevitable tax increases have been postponed in recent years -- probably for political expedience -- by dipping into the county's fund balance to pay for capital improvements. Now, county commissioners see they can go to the well only so many times. Those dips and bad investments by a former county treasurer have depleted the fund balance, which now needs to be rebuilt.

Along that line, commissioners should be cautious about using the county's $2.1 million share of the state's tobacco settlement to offset immediate expenses. Such a windfall is a tailor-made umbrella for a rainy day. If a real emergency hits, like a tornado or a flood, having those dollars on hand could make all the difference.

On the city side, City Manager Roy McDaniel and his staff should be commended for holding the line on expenses without stinting on services. But maintaining the health of any community demands periodic investment by its residents. We want to drive on streets without potholes. We want traffic signals that work right. We want good fire protection, efficient flood control, better parks.

As McDaniel says, "If you don't fix your stuff, pretty soon it quits working." And a bond issue is the best way to let residents choose what they believe is worth keeping up.

Everybody gripes about paying taxes. But there's one thing worse than taxes -- doing without the services our taxes pay for. Just complaining about taxes is looking at only one side of the equation. We also have to keep in mind the benefits we get back from what we pay in. The key is to hold our officials responsible for giving us our money's worth.