Sales tax referendum - Wayne-Wilson News Leader, Fremont, NC

For some time, the board has been discussing the option. After the state government took over cost of Medicare this year, explained Commissioner Andy Anderson on Tuesday, it also absorbed a portion of the county’s sales tax revenues.

The state then put an option before North Carolina counties of either increasing property taxes by a certain percentage or adding a sales tax in the county to recover some of those lost revenues.

Several surrounding counties, including neighboring Johnston, decided to put both options before voters this past November. Although Johnston was leaning toward the property taxes, voters shot down both options.

In Wayne County, the commissioners heavily favored the sales tax option.

Town Manager Lee Smith said that the commissioners had expressed that the sales tax was a fairer option because it spread the cost out evenly among all county citizens.

“Everybody buys things, I don’t care how rich or poor you are,” he said. “This way, the cost spreads among the people at the level they spend.”

Mr. Smith and Commissioner Anderson added that even if citizens approve the tax, it didn’t necessarily have to be implemented.

“It just allows us to have that as an option,” said Commissioner Anderson.

The board unanimously approved the referendum.

Later in the meeting, Willie Ray Starling addressed the board during the public comments section about spending.

“The county has $20 million in surplus, and you just spend $100,000 of it to bring a company to town,” he said. “Then you turn around and approve of a tax on the people . . . Many of us are on a limited budget, and the county should be on a limited budget too.”

Commissioner Anderson stated to all present that he felt that the board did need to be conservative, but that sometimes the county needs to spend money to bring money in.
“We’re growing, and we’ve got to provide schools and services,” he said. “Any time you’re growing and don’t have income to grow with, you’re going downhill.”

Commissioner Efton Sager added that what many citizens don’t understand is that the county needs a certain level of surplus funds to legally operate, as well as to fund many projects.

“It scares me sometimes to hear the public perception of what government is doing,” he said.

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Issue of 17 January 2008

Wayne Wilson News Leader
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