Leading voice at City Hall for tax hikes fails to pay his own property taxes
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| Cecil Thomas owns this dilapidated property on Reading Road that has a $2,446.36 tax delinquency |
The Hamilton County Auditor's web site shows Council member Thomas and his wife Pamula are the owners of this property located at 4896 Reading Road. Not only is the property poorly maintained, but, according to that web site, Thomas has failed to pay $2,446.36 in taxes owed on the property.
The Auditor's site also shows that Thomas is delinquent in his property taxes on properties he owns at 3885 and 3887 Washington Avenue and 515 and 489 Clinton Springs Avenue. Apparently Mr. Thomas believes that payment of his own taxes are entirely optional.
Thomas has been a consistent proponent of wasteful spending at City Hall (including the streetcar boondoggle), and Council's most outspoken advocate of increased taxes. He repeatedly has called for an increase in earnings taxes on City residents and workers.
Today, City Council votes on whether to raise our property taxes. We have no doubt that Thomas will be one vote in favor of higher property taxes.
We would suggest that before Thomas vote to increase taxes on the hard-working families of Cincinnati to pay for his wasteful spending that he and his wife, who both draw taxpayer-funded salaries, first pay their own property taxes. It's just a thought.
I'm more concerned about the higher property taxes I'm going to have to pay as a result of Greg Hartmann breaking his promise to keep the Property Tax Rollback. COAST used to editorialize frequently about the need to maintain the PTR, criticizing anyone and everyone who dared consider to violate it. It seems that from the second Hartmann supported this tax hike, COAST conveniently forgot about its longtime opposition.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't forgotten at all.
ReplyDeleteHartmann said publically he would offset the PTR increase with comparable decreases in other voted levies. Obamacare makes it illegal for anyone not to have health insurance, so we shouldn't need much of an indigent care levy any more. It also takes over many of the functions currently funded by our MRDD levy, so we expect a decrease there too.
The Tax Levy Review Committee is deliberating these matters now. As long as the process produces a result which revenue-neutral to the taxpayer, there will be nothing to complain about.
We trust Hartmann to honor his promise. If for some reason he doesn't, we'll ride him as hard as we do the other tax-n-spenders. Meanwhile he gets the benefit of the doubt.
Thanks but I wasn't asking about the indigent care levy. I was asking about the Property Tax Rollback which COAST asked me to help defend many many times. We taxpayer advocates are needed now more than ever.
ReplyDelete#1 - You are correct, we need to do a better job of defending the Property Tax Rollback. So does every other group who has defended it in the past. I know I will be blogging more on that topic in the coming months. When the Democrats controlled the Commission COAST made its position clear - over and over again - and now we need to back it.
ReplyDeleteSeriously?
ReplyDeleteThe organization is headed up by one member (Jason Gloyd) who recently foreclosed on their house for not making their mortgage payments and has been blaming all of "us" for being the reason for fraud and abuse that led to the housing bubble burst.
It is led by another member (Mark Miller) who had his wages garnished due to non-payment of his own son's private school tuition, while complaining that public education is a "boondoggle" and a "hand out".
These ass-clowns actually think they have any credibility to stand on to criticize a member of city council who actually did dedicate his life to public service for having a measly $2400 outstanding balance on his property tax bill???
Please.
COAST: Fold up and move to Wyoming already. You really are obsolete.