Smorgasbord

Some Items to Nibble On Fire Rates Increase Property Tax Bills--Some Taxpayers in For Big Surprise How does a 2.3 cent increase look on your property tax bill? That is what will greet tax payers in the West Sanford Fire District this year. West Pocket's increase is nearly as large at 1.9 cents, followed by Lemon Springs at 1.6 cents, Deep River at 1.4 cents, and Northview at 1 cent. All the rest of the districts will increase about one-half cent, except Cape Fear which will increase by 3/10 of a cent. The increases were adopted for the fire districts by the Commissioners as part of this year's budget as requested after no one appeared at the public hearing on the rates. The increases range from 26.7 % to 4.1%. Actual rates range from 11.8 cent in West Pocket to 7.6 cent in Cape Fear. The actual rates are a function of the needs of the volunteer fire department and the property value of the fire district. Generally, the less developed the area, the higher the tax rate. The needs of the departments, like the purchase of new equipment, can also very from year to year. Lee County voters previously approved up to 15 cent per $100 valuation for fire protection. Now imagine if the property tax rate had gone up 2.3 cent like the fire protection rate did in West Pocket? Perhaps the reason fire protection rate increases don't prompt the same reaction as property tax increases is a good one--it has directly to do with safety and protection just like the Sheriff's budget. Or perhaps it is that the money is generally going to departments staff mainly by volunteers although some departments do have employees to keep their stations manned. There has been some effort to create a "blended rate" that would apply county wide, but the effort has never been able to get past the divergent interests and situations of the districts. With gas prices, the stock market, and the increase in grocery prices, be sure to factor your fire tax rate into your budgeting of pennies in this tough economy. A 527 Just for a Lee County Commissioners' Race Editior's note: While you may have heard this as a rumor a month or more ago, the e-Lee Dispatch could not confirm it until a few days ago. Remember the famous swift boat ads about John Kerry. Do you recall McCrory and Perdue arguing about negative ads that supposedly were not run without any connections to their campaigns? These were all the work of what is called a 527 group. Although candidate committees and political action committees are also created under Section 527, the term is generally used to refer to political organizations that are not regulated by the Federal Election Commission or by a state elections commission, and are not subject to the same contribution limits as PACs. Rumors that several democrats from Lee County had been in Raleigh to investigate the creation of an independent Section 527 were widely circulating more than a month ago among the closest political insiders. At a recent social engagement in Greensboro attended by a number of political consultants and Raleigh attorneys, the e-Lee Dispatch was finally able to get confirmation that the rumors were true. The advantage of such an organization is that there is no limit on the amount of money that an individual may give. Also, since they cannot be affiliated with a candidate, the candidates that benefit from the negative ads savaging their opponents can deny, as the Obama and McCain campaigns do, having any responsibility for the ads. It appears that the interest of these individuals was mailings related to an issue handled by the commissioners during the time Herb Hincks was chairman. Since the original legislation that made these kinds of 527's legal, North Carolina election law now requires reporting of who is contributing to the organization. Given the civic standing of Herb and Helen Hincks in the community, that disclosure requirement may have killed the interest of these individuals in the organization who wanted to remain anonymous, or perhaps knowing the donor would have made the relationship to the candidates too obvious. For whatever reason their is no record of a likely 527 for the commissioners election. Americans For Prosperity is a federal 527 and has attempted to influence voters in the recent municipal election and the referendum on the sales tax increase. Don't Miss The Wednesday Sanford Herald There will be breaking news of potential major significance in the race for county commission. Also there will be our newspaper column "Uncommon Sense." Also, I have posted an answer to questions thrown at me about C.E.A.D. by Ty Stump in his last article on our companion site the e-Lee Dispatch Plus. (Click here to read the response.)