Raleigh
Raising Kane
One of our readers offered an interesting perspective on the issue of whether the city should agree to help finance a new North Hills parking deck with developer John Kane: “Downtown they have taken real tax dollars and spent it on a hotel plus committing a future source of revenue to pay for the Convention…
Read MoreRaleigh Spending on a Roll
Local government spending in Raleigh and Wake County is mushrooming. The City Council wants to spend more. The County Commissioners want to spend more. The School Board wants to spend more. The County Commissioners’ Blue Ribbon Task Force wants to spend more. And they all want to borrow and raise taxes to pay for it.…
Read MoreSchool Board
The News and Observer recently asked the School Board for copies of its e-mails – under the state’s public records law – about student reassignments to different schools. (This year 9300 students are being reassigned.) This is a routine request newspapers often make to government agencies and, initially, it was expected it would only take…
Read MoreA Blue Ribbon Punt
When I hear the words “Blue Ribbon Study Commission,” I automatically think: Another politician is punting. That’s exactly what happened in Wake County this month. Problem is, the “Blue-Ribbon Committee on the Future of Wake County” punted the ball right back to the politicians. The News & Observer summed it up this way in a…
Read MoreNorth Hills Developer Takes a Plunge
I admire what John Kane has done at North Hills in Raleigh. He’s obviously a businessman with vision and guts. But I wonder if he knows what kind of political buzzsaw he has walked into now. Specifically, the anti-developer buzzsaw that seems to be dominating Raleigh politics. Kane has asked Raleigh and Wake County for…
Read MoreSocking it to Developers
The Mayor has increased the fees the city charges builders when they submit plans by $150,000. Sounds fine? Doesn’t affect you? You’re not a developer. Well, how expensive will the cost of doing business in Raleigh have to be before it does affect you? Those developers the Mayor uses as political foils serve people who…
Read MorePaying for Growth with Taxes?
There was a time – when Raleigh had a Republican Mayor – when growth meant no new taxes. Back then, when the city grew, new people and new businesses moved here, they paid new taxes, revenues went up and the city didn’t have to raise tax rates on the rest of us. Mysteriously, this has…
Read MoreMaintenance
The News and Observer reports the maintenance for the RBC Center is going to cost $60 million over the next 16 years (6/27/06). Who can argue with that? We built it, we’ve got to take care of it. But there’s a warning here. When the City Council or County Commissioners spend $100 million for an…
Read MorePandemic of New Taxes Breaks Out in Raleigh
Last week there was an outbreak of new taxes in Wake County. Both the Raleigh City Council and the County Commissioners voted to hike taxes the same day. Lead by Mayor Meeker the City Council voted to increase property taxes 9%. On top of that if the School Bond – which the Mayor supports –…
Read MoreRaising Property Taxes
The News and Observer reports when the City Council met last week to consider the new budget and a property tax increase plenty of folks showed up “with their hands out” wanting city funds for their organizations (News and Observer, 06-07-06). Legal Aid needs $35,000 more this year, the Symphony Orchestra wants $100,000 and the…
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