On Tuesday, September, 28th, the Hays County Commissioners Court will vote on next year’s county budget. If this budget passes, it will mark the third time in four years that the commissioners court has raised taxes. It will also mark another selfish pay raise for elected officials.
During this economic recession, the commissioners court should not balance the budget on the backs of taxpayers. The responsible alternative is to cancel the pay raise for elected officials and hold spending in check.
I was honored to accompany many concerned citizens at a recent budget hearing. I was dismayed at the out-of-touch rationale of Commissioner Jeff Barton, the foremost apologist for the tax hike. Mr. Barton seems to think that county government is entitled to as much tax money as it wants. As citizen after citizen spoke of financial hardships from the recession, Mr. Barton continued to defend his tax hike.
A tax hike may pose no problem for Mr. Barton. He has repeatedly voted for tax hikes and just raised his own taxpayer-funded salary by more than $8500. But I disagree with Mr. Barton. Hays County deserves fiscal responsibility, now more than ever.
If you share my concern over these repeated tax hikes and elected official pay raises, please join me in making your voice heard one last time before the upcoming budget vote. We will rally outside of the county courthouse on Tuesday, September 28th, at 12:00 noon, to demand better.
Bert Cobb
San Marcos
(Editor’s Note: Commissioners’ pay is scheduled to increase from $65,048 to $66,349, an increase of $1,301. Commissioners Debbie Gonzales-Ingalsbe, Jeff Barton and Karen Ford have all declined the increase.)
