Cutting Property Tax Is The Best Economic Stimulus

I am writing this response to the letter that appeared in a recent edition in which the writer was talking about the initiative of Highlands County Commissioner Guy Maxey and the other commissioners to come up with some kind of economic stimulus initiative for the county building industry. In the letter, the writer quoted Commissioner Maxey as saying that our main economic stimulus in the county has always been from the building industry. He further stated we therefore need to take steps to cause a new increase in building.

I have lived and worked as a Realtor in the county for 18 years now. I can say that I have a good working knowledge of our real estate market and what we don't need anymore of is to increase our present inventory of vacant new homes.

Our present inventory of homes for sale will take years to consume. Our economy here in Highlands County has and always will be based on retired senior citizens and the daily support to them. They, in turn, provide the needed spending to sustain our economy and businesses. Until we see significant amounts of industry move into our county, this hypothesis will continue.

Recently I read in one of the submitted letters that stated several of the local businesses made half their annual sale in the winter months of January through March. This has always been the norm and supports the above hypothesis. We need to get our seniors to come back to Florida and not chase them away with these ridiculous taxes.

In addition to the above, what really makes me disgusted with our local government is the fact that all along they have had the legislative authority to establish senior homestead exemptions up to a maximum of $50,000. Other counties have taken advantage of this in order to help their respective seniors who really need it to survive. This is such a minuscule amount and wouldn't be a significant impact on our county daily operation. And what is even more disturbing is the fact that the county government hasn't advertised this to the senior community. They have chosen to keep it a secret from us. However, when it comes to approving a pay increase, guess what, we need it.

What we need desperately now is a meaningful and workable reform of our property taxes. We need to return our property taxes to 2001-2002 levels and hold firm until a viable property tax fix is in place. Yes, that means managing our local county government within strict budget constraints. Unless we can make it affordable again for our retired senior citizens as well as our winter senior residents, our economy will continue to deteriorate.

Once we resolve the tax problem then the economy will take care of itself. Normal growth will again dictate the need for expansion of county services in a meaningful way and not just at the wishes of those county employees who are trying to build an empire to sustain their worth.

The latest legislative tax reform wasn't anywhere near what it should have been. We need a realistic annual tax cap across the board to protect our properties from the same unrealistic, artificial inflation that caused this whole mess we find ourselves in. Our ad valorem tax system of value will work but must have an annual cap to protect itself from this artificial inflation. I can't understand why our educated county government and state legislature can't see this. It certainly doesn't take a doctorate degree in economics to see a viable fix to the problem.

We certainly don't need the increase in county supervisory (directorate) level positions as what has been recently recommended-approved by our ever-fiscal minded county commissioners. This really makes sense in a time of fiscal turmoil and total national economic failure. Come on county commissioners, start doing the job you are getting paid to do. If you can't do it, then get out of office and let someone else in there.

Jim Turvey is a Realtor in Lake Placid.