It all boils down to fifteen bucks

[Brent]

The Council did not receive authority to, as some say, "increase Cary's Vehicle License Tax by 300%". If they had, they could have increased the vehicle license fee from $15 up to as much as $30, with fees supporting roads and transit.

[Anonymous]

*IF* the money collected from the gas tax, vehicle fees, et al, EXCEEDS the amount of money spent on roads each year WHY do we have a city council demanding fee/tax increases for roads?

Stan Norwalk always claims that we are "subsidizing" roads, but it seems that the truth is the exact opposite....that tax/fee collections supposedly for roads are used to subsidize other spending.

Where will it end and why should Cary voters have to suffer more tax/fee hikes when the money that is SUPPOSED to be used for roads is being diverted by the current city council for non-roads spending?

Honesty requires that if the city council is going to seek a fee/tax hike for "roads" that all the money they are already collecting for roads be spent on roads. That is not happening.

HENCE, the people who say "I'd pay $15 more for roads!" are not making any sense. The money they are already paying for roads is far in excess of what is actually being spent on "roads". There is absolutely no reason to assume/believe that any tax/fee hike for "roads" would ever in fact be spent on roads. It too would go down the sewer hole of rampant, out of control spending.

To believe that the city council on this one, one must believe in the Road Fairy, the Good Witch of Curbs everywhere, and Traffic Control Leprechauns.

[Brent]

John, I think your issues are with NCDOT, not with the Town of Cary. Which funds is Cary collecting for roads that aren't being spent on roads?

[johnb]

there is no reason to assume Cary needs more money....since the city council has failed to demonstrate that all the cash the city collects for roads is actually being spent on roads and that that amount is insufficient there is no need to assume we need a tax/fee hike.....

Since the city has 1 million dollars to blow on a "skate park"...obviously there is money left sitting around not doing anything short of burning a hole in the pockets of Clubber Lang, the RINO, and JULIEFORCARY!

[Brent]

[quote="johnb"]there is no reason to assume Cary needs more money....since the city council has failed to demonstrate that all the cash the city collects for roads is actually being spent on roads and that that amount is insufficient there is no need to assume we need a tax/fee hike.....[/auote]

Again, which transportation-related funds is Cary collecting that are not being spent on transportation improvements in Cary? How has the council failed to demonstrate that?

And the real point of this poll is that I wonder what results we might see if you asked people "Would you favor increasing Cary's vehicle license fee by 300%?" and then asked the same people "Would you be willing to pay $15 more in vehicle license fees if the money went to improve roads and transit in Cary?"

[johnb]

Wow, do you not understand what you are saying Brent?

"Again, which transportation-related funds is Cary collecting that are not being spent on transportation improvements in Cary? How has the council failed to demonstrate that?"

The city council is trying to change the status quo and push for a tax/fee hike. It is incumbent upon THEM to make their case. They have done nothing except squawk for higher taxes/fees. There is no reason for the taxpayers to assume that the tax/fee hike requested is either needed or would be used for road projects.

The city council needs to put the numbers up to show that they are spending all the cash collected for 'roads' on roads and not diverting some portion of that cash to non-essential or non-road related expenses.

It is unethical for you to demand that others prove they don't 'need' a tax hike just because they demand one. They seek to change the status quo, they have the burden of proof.

[Brent]

There is no reason for the taxpayers to assume that the tax/fee hike requested is either needed or would be used for road projects.

Actually, there is reason for the latter, because the text of the Cary 2003 legislative agenda includes "The additional funding that would be raised by
a vehicle license fee rate increase would be utilized to support the Town’s
transportation capital improvement program. If the maximum fee of $30 were to be enacted, $5 would continue to be put toward the Town’s Mainstream Transit program, which was approved by the Town Council when the transit program was expanded to the General Public in 2002."

They seek to change the status quo, they have the burden of proof.

If (A) they actually had this authority; and (B) they were talking about actually exercising it, then I would agree with you.

[johnb]

Which is why I say thank goodness the legislature b-slapped them with a refusal for their request for that authority. There would be no reason to ask for the authority if the intent to use it was not present.