Tusculum City resident Phillip Molina addressed the Board of Mayor and Commissions Monday on the need for a city tax.
MOLINA CALL FOR CITY TAX
Molina and his wife Rhonda have lived in Tusculum for ten years. During the public comment section of the meeting Monday, Molina suggested some type of city tax to help provide better benefits for those who live there. Saying it’s not fair and I believe it is unreasonable for the city government to continue without city tax. “I propose either a fee for services, a city tax with the third option being if that doesn’t happen over time with the amount of needs, it could end up being an annexation by the city of Greeneville, which will pay a lot higher tax. This proposed city tax can be in tiers with higher earners, large homeowners, those who naturally pay highs which includes myself and my family. I’m not looking for special favoritism. A second tier for those less fortune, and possibly a third tier for those that live below the poverty level, to pay the absolute least amount, but something.”
BOARD DELAYS PROPERTY TAX DISCUSSION
Several citizens packed the small city hall board room Monday, many no doubt in anticipation of property tax discussions. The mayor had invited Trustee Nathan Holt and Property Assessor Chuck Jeffers to the meeting to explain what a one cent property tax would bring to city coffers. Neither were able to attend, and the mayor said he hopes the two will be able to join them during the September meeting.
HOTEL/MOTEL TAX
The Tusculum Board of Mayor and Commissioners did approve adoption of a 1% hotel/motel tax last night. Although there are some Airbnb and vrbo locations in Tusculum, currently there are no hotels or motels. The mayor says however there have been such discussions on the four lane within the Tusculum City limits in the future.
PHILLIP MOLINA COMMENTS
“Each and every year, either by fees for services, or a volunteer tax, or both, I have contributed to my wonderful city and community. I cannot accept favoritism for it, nor do I personally gain in any way for what I am about to state here in. I want to thank the leaders of the city of Tusculum, each and every employee for being the greatest government in action, providing services equal to if not better than the city of Greeneville. Also, our neighbors which pay a city tax for those wonderful services that they receive. It’s not fair and I believe it is unreasonable for the city government to continue without city tax. This is especially true for those that have come to our community, from other areas and laugh at the fact that we do not pay the city tax, which receive white glove benefits for free. Absolutely a whole lot of something in benefits being a citizen of Tusculum for a whole lot of nothing in cost. This, again, is simply not fair. We talked about, and it was brought up about the fact that we need more control on speeders, on various different roads, the city of Tusculum writes more tickets than the city of Greeneville and Greene County combined. But to go further, to be able to put more of a grasp on this problem, this city is under the FBI statistics of requiring at least 3.5 officers on duty at all times. I propose either a fee for services, a city tax with the third option being if that doesn’t happen over time with the amount of needs, it could end up being an annexation by the city of Greeneville, which will pay a lot higher tax.
This proposed city tax can be in tiers with higher earners, large homeowners, those who naturally pay highs which includes myself and my family. I’m not looking for special favoritism.
A second tier for those less fortune, and possibly a third tier for those that live below the poverty level, to pay the absolute least amount, but something,
The City of Tusculum has done a wonderful job squeezing each and every penny of revenue. Their businesses in town pay, but many of those businesses are for services. They don’t even pay the taxes. The city is growing with more to come. The need is growing for more law enforcement, for more personal people and more needs for the management we require in this city. And I have nothing to do with the city, but I do live here. This tax can have some sort of cap or require a vote or other means to relieve the worry that once a tax is established, there is no limit on how much it could rise. I don’t want that any more than anybody else in here. I just want fairness.
Last, our leaders should not work for a dollar a month. There is planning, meetings, all kinds are required needs, and I’ve seen it. But I do simply think, in the fairness to this city, this community, the things we get which are exactly better than that Greeneville is even getting, they pay a city tax. And the proposed city tax would be a lot less than it would be if it were annexed by the city of Greeneville. So I thank you for your time, Mayor I know I brought this up before. I’m a conservative Republican. I do not believe in just rampant running, spending, and buying and spending, but I do believe in the needs, like this gentleman brought up, a little bit more law enforcement, maybe over here, it can’t be done with what we have. We need more. And this city has done this and has been incorporated since 1959, working off nickles and pennies to provide a wonderful community, and they do a wonderful job, and I’m very proud of them. I’m proud of this government. I can’t say that about a lot of other things. We don’t run this thing like the federal government with an unlimited spending habit, very tight, but there could be something addressed about that to bring more revenue. We don’t have enough business revenues here, the truth of the matter is. We need more officers. We need more resources to do more things for our community and to beautify it. Last but not least, this city hall has been here since the early 60s. Well, we were incorporated in ’59, so they finally quit meeting in their own houses and came out to a little city. It’s time to beautify, this is part of our community, and to beautify our city, and it can be done. We have the resources to do it, and with the city tax, we would have the reasonable revenue to pay such mortgage until it were to be paid off. But we’re not talking about a lot of money, and certainly not in the same level as Greeneville built. I hope everybody understands. I don’t mean to be someone to bring up the bad word taxes, but God, family, and community. Thank you”
