South Bethany Comprehensive Plan – Community Questionnaire 2011 List of Property Owners’ Comments For: Future Town Needs: Add Your Suggestion – Tax and Financial Related Comments
Comments – Tax Related: TOTAL: 102 Comments/860 Returns (8.1%) After each completed survey was returned to the Town, each completed survey was given a number for record keeping purposes. The number before each comment represents that number.
YES 611- Yes to tax increase but not too much! 319-Yes but don’t waste my tax dollars, be conservative. My Yes is not a blank check! 312-Nice to keep improving and maintaining what we have. Let’s try to keep taxes down to make improvements as we need to can afford. 244- Let’s wait a few years before raising taxes again! Save up for future town needs then purchase. 283- Tax increase – moderately, reasonably. 146- Yes to tax increases with qualifications. 70- Tax increase OK if not too much. 361- OK for tax increase but no more than 5%. 83- Yes to tax increase if it was a necessity. 153- Yes to a tax increase if willing to cut spending that is not needed. 159- Yes to tax increase but not a large amount. 225 – A little tax increase. 196- Yes to tax increases after careful review of other possible cost savings. 212- Give our employees a raise – yes I am willing to have taxes increased. -1-
418- Yes to tax increase if not doubled. 426- Yes to tax increases but it depends if reasonable. 435- Yes to tax increase but depends on cost. 448- Tax increase OK but limited to 3%. 464- Yes to tax increase if reasonable. 467- Yes to a small tax increase. 488- Yes to reasonable amount of increase. 505- Yes to tax increase but not a lot. 528- Yes to tax increase within reason and on condition that all is properly costed out and federal and/or state assistance is factored in and the process is open and transparent. 586- Yes to increases if reasonable. 654- Yes to tax increase but not for large item purchases i.e. aerators. 666- Yes to tax increase but how much? 748- Yes to tax increase with reason. 823- Yes to tax increase within reason. NO 335-Taxes/fees levied by the town should not be further increased to pay for upgrades, etc. that only benefit some. 50- Run a tight ship and you should not have to increase taxes. 244- Let’s wait a few years before raising taxes again! Save up for future town needs then purchase. 51/51- Please do NOT increase the high town occupancy tax!! 350- No increased taxes at this time/economy. 376 – Absolutely no tax increase. This Council has shown itself to be fiscally irresponsible in our opinion. 560 – 100% tax increase already implemented should cover these items. 134 – Tax increase is not justified until town fiscal condition improves to allow improvements without another tax increase. 166- We need more efficient use of tax dollars collected not an increase in taxes. 182- No new taxes! 206- No tax increase at this time. 195- Cut spending by 50%. Stop spending money. The transfer taxes are no longer coming in. Keep the cops on the beat after 6:00 pm. The June Bugs are coming!!! 415- Lower Taxes 424- Minimal government- less taxes- do things more efficiently- not new services – the beach is the beach- town was run better 20 years ago at a third of the budget- don’t find things to justify – leave things alone! -2-
446- Why spend tax payers’ money on projects that are not needed or have already been implemented but just need to be maintained. No tax increase, they have been done in the past with our taxes and state and county aid. 474- Don’t spend money you don’t have, taxes are getting higher and higher. 526- Nice ideas but too expensive – Taxes are high enough. 583- Keep expenses down. The things I would like are luxuries not necessities – if increasing taxes at this time is the only way to raise the needed capital then I would check #2 for all “not wanted.” 596- Taxes are high enough. 626- Do not raise taxes. 648- No tax increase – cut back on ridiculous expenses like “code”, vehicle, lifeguard truck and cart, etc. 51/51- Please do NOT increase the high town occupancy tax!! 350- No increased taxes at this time/economy. 697- Our family would like to know who sits around and comes up with all this stuff? More lights, etc. Taxes have increased too much already. Let the town maintain the quiet charm. Take care of the beach and canals. Share service costs with other jurisdictions reflective of the times. Particularly the police department. 701- With the economy at present – just maintain. 723- Taxes were just doubled 2 years ago! 724- No extra $$ spent – keep a surplus. Please do not add anything else that will require $$ to maintain. Use saved funds to only minimally maintain what is in place. 758- No taxes – stop spending. Lower water bills! Since you had to put artesian water on the canal homes. How can we have our vacation homes that we worked so hard to have in our golden years? – go after the owners that are collecting money (rent). 764- Quit wasting tax payer’s money. 822- No tax increase at this time. Times are hard! 836- No tax increase not until the economy improves; then move forward. 329-Why aren’t taxes being reduced now that the financial crisis is over? MAYBE 327-Taxes should be increased only under absolute conditions. 80- How much tax increase? 375- I realistically would like to see fiscal constraint observed; but would support certain capital investments. 114- Tax increase? Depends on how much. 119- Tax increase depends on what additional services are provided. 556- Yes to increase but depends on how much it will be. -3-
563- Realistically maybe a tax increase. 575- Depends on reason for tax increase. 405- Increase taxes only if know how much and how long- this is how it’s done for timesharestimed assessments- when paid for back to original amount. 715- How much tax increase? 732- Somewhat support a tax increase. 779- Give tax rebate for solar installation. 794- Maybe a tax increase. 815- Support of tax increase depends on the amount of increase. 831- Marginally agree with a tax increase. Financial Comments 837- Some of these things above will be needed but with the economy as it is right now, hold off for better times. 841- Leave well enough alone – Part of the appeal of SB is that it is a small town in both public and bureaucracy “governmental costs” and to expand one is detrimental to the other. The town appearance seems fine to me. 544- Live within the budget. 602- Not necessary expenses. I like SBB the way it is. You all do a great job. 534- Lean government. We are in a recession. Mainly a retirement area for a majority. We do not need a large government with the expense. This is a small community. We do not need that much assistance or harassment. 470- Quit spending money 327-All improvements should definitely be kept within budget so the town will not become as so many governmental subdivisions have become-in debt and broke. 330-Before answering A1-A3-B Where is the money coming from? 330-I don’t see anything that has to be done in the near future, we have a pretty tight ship, and we should keep it as. The additional handicap boardwalks would be nice if federal/county money is going to pay. 292- Some of these suggestions are great but with this economy, we don’t need to spend more money. TIGHTEN OUR WALLETS. The town looks great! 11- Spending needs to be reduced; not increased. 18- Instead of looking for ways to increase budget (aka taxes) have disciplined maintenance by town workers for what already exists. 261-Please keep expenses low. SB looks great as is. 43- Reduce all spending until economy recovers, 54- Concerted effort to reduce expenditures for town, i.e. trash, recycle, police department size. -4-
345-In these times of economic down turn, we should only do things that are essential to the town. Most of these things the town has done without just fine. 85- We pay taxes, use local retailers and eat out at local restaurants a lot- thus I feel we do our part in supporting the community plus we donate to the Fire Department and the local library. 352- Reallocate funds to highest priority. 94- All of these ideas are great but I cannot tell which, if any, are inexpensive. 102- Please do not over-spend budget. 126- STOP spending money!!! I cannot make it any clearer. 390 – Don’t need anymore. 397- Do not expand government! 397- No list of future needs- None I think you do a good job overall. 401- Town should not plan to spend money we don’t have. 835- The town needs to move into the 21st century regarding its infrastructure and management. Over the past 20 years or so, BB and FI have progressed and evolved into aesthetically pleasing communities. SB needs to do the same in order to maintain resale and rental values.
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