The Monkey Junction annexation that drew sharp criticism and activism from local residents may have one final twist of the knife for local residents as it moves forward.
If the city wins the fight to bring residents into its limits, the unhappy property owners could get hammered with back-to-back tax bills. <ouch!> “Effectively it feels like you’re getting two tax bills,” Wilmington City Attorney Carolyn Johnson said.
Yet more proof that it was about money all along and not services. The story is truly mired in bizarre gobbledygook as no government official ever can clearly say when the annexation will take place and when folks will start paying. BUT they are pretty clear in being able to show that they won’t be providing services even if people are double taxed.
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Foreclosures in the southeastern market continue to astound and are on pace to set new records. During the “summer of recovery” we have learned the sales taxes were down, tourism was down, unemployment is still bad and now this:
The housing pitfall comes on the heels of a Moody’s Economy.com report that labeled Wilmington as one of 22 metro areas in the country in danger of doing a “double dip” and falling back into recession.
For 2009, New Hanover County had 1,469 foreclosures. Through July, the county had seen 1,126 – putting it on a pace for more than 1,900 in 2010.
Brunswick County saw 1,621 foreclosures last year. For the first seven months of 2010, it saw 1,073. If the trend sticks, the total could exceed 1,800 for the year.
Pender County is in the same boat. Having seen 474 foreclosures last year, that number could jump to nearly 600 this year.
Who accepts responsibility for any of this? State leaders? National leaders? Or are we to believe it’s still the Bush Administration’s fault? The truth is that NONE of the government’s attempt to “stimulate” economic growth have worked and might well have hindered any recovery.
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GOP Congressional candidate Ilario Pantano squared off against Democrat Congressman Mike McIntyre last Friday in New Hanover County. By all accounts (both Dem and GOP) it was one of McIntyre’s worst outings and one of Pantano’s finest. Additional forums are planned in Brunswick, Duplin and Cumberland over the next few weeks. Duplin’s is supposed to be this Friday at James Sprunt Community College. An example of their differences as covered by WWAY.
“Until leaders are ready to take some decisive action and stop bringing home checks of your money to buy off constituency votes, we’re not going to solve the problem,” said Pantano. “We’re going to create more of them.”
“My opponent signed a pledge saying no special appropriations,” said Rep. McIntyre. “Well if you don’t have any special appropriations for Carolina and Kure beach you’re not going to get the money. For the Topsail inlet, you’re not going to get the money. You’ve got to fight for it.”
This race will heat up and the gap between these candidates is closing. This will be one of THE races to watch in North Carolina.
Read full article » No Comments »The Jacksonville Daily News has some words of praise for the town of Richlands, which found that it needed a new police car and opted for a way to save money in these recessionary times:
Richlands officials found what appears to be a solid solution to their need for a new car by securing a vehicle through a company that offers a municipal lease program. By leasing, Richlands Police Chief Thomas Bennett says, the department will pay less over the long haul for the car and its equipment.
That’s the kind of innovative thinking that governments need to adopt. Taxpayers are tapped out and tired of government waste. They want more for their money, and they have grown weary of excuses and overspending.
Richlands’ decision to lease this car at a savings to the town shows that someone is doing his job.
JLF offers some other money-saving ideas for local governments here and here.
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