Matlow, Porter Respond to Proposed Tax Increase, Silent on Increase in Law Enforcement Budget

Matlow, Porter Respond to Proposed Tax Increase, Silent on Increase in Law Enforcement Budget

During the City of Tallahassee budget workshop held on Wednesday, City Commissioners Jeremy Matlow and Jack Porter addressed the property tax increase recommended by city staff but were silent on the proposal to increase the law enforcement budget due to increases in violent crime.

City staff recently released the agenda for the workshop which proposed an increase in the millage rate of 0.62 mills to fund increased police wages, 20 new officer positions, and advanced technology to reduce prevailing trends in violent crime.

The tax increase would result in approximately $7 million in new revenue.

During the workshop, Commissioner Matlow made a motion to end consideration of a possible tax increase. However, the motion failed 3-2 with Mayor John Dailey, Commissioner Curtis Richardson, and Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox voting to keep a possible tax increase on the table.

Commissioner Jack Porter joined Matlow to end consideration of the tax increase recommendation.

“The majority of the commission today decided they want to keep this on the table. They want to keep this moving forward,” Matlow said. “Frankly, today we had a clear opportunity to take a vote and say we’re not going to raise property taxes and the mayor and other commissioners decided they want to continue pushing forward with the tax increase.”

Mayor Dailey stated that “It’s important that we have all of the information before we make definitive answers, including setting the millage rate,” Dailey said. “It is very appropriate at this time and quite frankly best practices just to keep an open mind as staff continues to put together all of the information that is going to impact our decision.”

Commissioner Matlow and Porter did not offer comment on the proposed increase in funding of law enforcement to address violent crime trends.

There are five more budget workshops until this will go for a final vote in the fall.

10 Responses to "Matlow, Porter Respond to Proposed Tax Increase, Silent on Increase in Law Enforcement Budget"

  1. @Ed Lie-l

    Give it a rest. You’re calling Matlow (the only business owner up there) a Marxist while the establishment 3 Chambercrats are literally raising our taxes. Dailey raised taxes in 2020 with his CSC property tax hike which Matlow publicly warned against.

    I am no SJW and that stuff grates on me but for taxes/spending, 0 question Porter and Jeremy have been better than Diane, Curtis and John who support Maddox-Reese admin and actually control the policy

  2. @ David… your practically is correct, and also part of their plan at the same time. It’s a classic move instituted by many local elected establishment types. They say they need $7-mil and must raise property taxes, knowing full well that the current and planned development will result in a considerably higher amount of revenue flowing into the general fund when all is said and done (aka: built). Then they simply allocate the promised $7-mil and party-on with the overage. Imagine the kind of meeting “snacks” they’ll get to buy now.

    The two alt-left progressive Marxicrats are only balking at the proposal because they know it has the votes to pass anyway. They want to appear fiscally conservative and caring to the malleable minded… but make no mistake about it, they are both fully aware of the pending overage windfall of our tax dollars, and are making out their wish list of reckless social spending as we speak.

  3. @CanonPhoto —

    Corporate entities don’t pay ANY taxes, their customers do. Thereby raising the price of their goods and services to the people that already pay their own taxes. Keep in mind that those corporations provide retirement money for about 100,000,000 people through their stock price, profit sharing, 401(k), IRAs, etc. at a level much better than the Social Security Ponzi scheme does.

    But yeah. Let’s gripe because they don’t crap on all of that to pay the taxes that YOU want them to pay to prop up the government socialism….

  4. @ A Skeptic
    Don’t forget the big corporate welfare takers that take and take, find loop hole after loop hole, and never pay their fair share of taxes.

    But let’s leave Federal taxes outta it, the article is about local taxes.

  5. @A Skeptic, then you got to figure in the 47 percent of people that don’t pay income tax, are completely dependent on the government and will vote for the President no matter what.

  6. @Pat — we’re further down that road than most people realize.

    The federal budget is over $6B, meaning that federal expenditures are near $20,000 for every man, woman, and child in the country. A family of 4 is “responsible” for almost $80,000 of that and has an income of about $87,000.

    93% of federal revenue is from payroll, personal, and corporate income taxes. More than half of that is given back to non-producers.

    The recent jump in property values should result in a windfall for local governments. Raising the rates on top of it is asinine.

  7. WHY do you need to raise the Taxes with all the New Homes being built? Every Home I see being built sells for $250K and UP and there are a LOT of them with 740 Acres now being developed for Housing. Just cut your Spending in other areas that can wait.

  8. It’s time to consider consolidating TPD. Less cost, less taxpayer Union dues, and no property tax increase. Plus there’s just one city in this county… two departments is duplicative

  9. Raising taxes during a recession is always the incorrect choice. Raising taxes following the largest increase in Homeowner’s insurance would also be a mistake. And sooner or later, the jury will say, buying Electric Buses was a giant blunder because technology hasn’t advanced far enough to make them practical. We ate becoming a socialist country.

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