Barrie Tilghman’s Budget Bait and Switch
Getting back into town I see that little has changed in the land of Barrie. Salisbury Mayor Barrie Tilghman is using the same old tricks and Gannett’s Daily Times continues to accommodate her.
The taxpayers of Salisbury need to wake up to the fact that the groundwork has been laid for large tax and service fee increases. Tilghman revealed this pending scandal in Tuesday’s budget address, she simply used a lot of smoke and mirrors.
The reason? Tilghman is coming up for re-election and wants to con the voters of Salisbury into another four years of economic malaise and economic subsidies to her friends. Hiking taxes and fees before an election simply won’t do if Barrie OR her hand-picked replacement are to remain in power.
Remember back to a year ago. In addition to her unnecessary tax increase to feed her bureaucracy, Tilghman demanded a 10% increase in water and sewer rates. Fortunately for the ratepayers of Barrieland, Councilwoman Debbie Campbell and newly sworn-in Councilwoman Terry Cohen called the administration’s bluff and embarrassed fellow council members Gary Comegys, Shanie Shields and Louise “I’ll Sell My Soul for a Gavel” Smith into backing away from an increase immediately after those same three members (comprising Tilghman’s “council leadership”) attacked the average homeowner with a double digit property tax increase.
This year there is no proposed rate increase. Instead, Tilghman plans on funding deficits in the Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund by dipping into the surplus - to the tune of over $4 million. If a double digit increase was so necessary last year, why is it suddenly OK to dip into the surplus in consecutive years?
The answer is a simple one. No politician likes to raise taxes (or water rates) right before an election. Tilghman is counting on the voters forgetting about last year’s tax increase. History has proven her right to date. We will have to see if Salisbury voters remain so forgetful, and forgiving.
cross posted at Salisbury News
Technorati Tags: Maryland, Salisbury, politics, Salisbury politics, fiscal policy, taxation, Barrie Tilghman, Debbie Campbell, Terry Cohen, Gary Comegys, Louise Smith, Shanie ShieldsSphere: Related Content
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