CLARKSBURG BILL

YET ANOTHER

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

COUNCIL ELECTION

YEAR HOAX

Another www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!!!

We've already heard about the Montgomery County Council's new "fiscal and reserves" policy this past summer. It was the fantasy plan that did not cut a dime from the FY12 budget, did not renegotiate a dime of employee compensation (which accounts for 80% of expenditures), said we could have 10% reserves when we couldn't afford 6% (no giggling, please!), said there was no deficit next year, and - best of all - was not mandatory. So it wasn't only a fantasy, but the council was under no legal obligation to follow the policy!

In other words, it was a hoax.

Are you ready for the latest of several hoaxes that the local media has reprinted without questioning them?

The council knows it is fully responsible for the development disasters in Clarksburg.

Watch video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSmjTPE15xk

Scrambling in an election year, the councilman who had the greatest oversight responsibility for Clarksburg, Mike Knapp, has introduced a bill to give his colleagues and his council record something to hide behind. (Other headlines, by coincidence of course, not related to the election in any way! No, sir!: "New Clarksburg Development to be Wonderful," "New Clarksburg Fire Station: Coming Soon!!!! I'll buy that for a dollar. How about, "Gold Mine Discovered! County Council to Share Loot with Clarksburg Residents if Reelected!" That would be too over-the-top, I guess).

It has been presented to the public as not only a bill to end the development taxing district in Clarksburg, but as the end of the concept in general.

As you know, these taxing districts are a fourth level of taxation for residents of developments such as those in Clarksburg. They were invented in a joint effort between developers and the councilmembers they control. The idea was novel: transfer costs that developers should be responsible for, such as roads and sewers, to the residents.

Watch video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCtprtX_H-w

In other words, the council gave a tax cut to the developers, and a tax increase to the residents of Clarksburg. Developers say that if they can't have these districts, gosh darn it, they'll just have to charge a higher purchase price for the homes. As original pioneers in the New Clarksburg can tell you, they paid premium prices for their homes in the early years, and received no discount. So what was that lower price argument again?

Local media are touting the new bill this week. Unfortunately, it's a fake. Examine the fine print. (And forget that Knapp let himself and his colleagues off the hook about the missing Clarksburg grocery store, and that the reporters didn't hit him with tough followup questions!)

A blue ribbon commission will be formed. And - sometime, oh after the election maybe - somebody somewhere will decide just how we get this sum of money from the county, developers, and - guess who? - the homeowners! (Let's just hope they don't charge the citizens $10,000 for serving on the board, as they did with the arbitration scam).

That's right: the county is not going to demand the cost from the developer buddies. Oh no, it's going to come in great part from the homeowners and you, the taxpayer - even if you don't live in Clarksburg.

And that's the other drag on the council's hopes for good election year vibes - the same day as they announce a supposed end to the taxing district in Clarksburg, the county just happens to unveil a taxing district for White Flint!

Doh!

Don't forget, that original White Flint district plan was to tax residents beyond the "New" White Flint. This was a trial balloon floated by the county, and was met with howls in response. The county has tried to play that idea down recently, but it's too late: they've already given themselves away, and there's no way to put that genie back in the bottle again.

Now, you might be saying, "What do I care? I don't live in Clarksburg or White Flint." Here's where this week's hoax, and the ultimate imposition of the taxation districts in those areas affects you:

I submit to you that the taxing district scheme is a clever new tactic to work around the property tax charter limit restriction. And that there is a plan to impose such districts countywide.

How? Well, we know that the developers have joined with politicians and the media that serves both of them, to condition the public to accept the fantasy of "smart growth."

Part of the fantasy of "smart growth," is that building buildings helps the environment (no giggling, please). So they propose turning all residential neighborhood shopping centers into urban "town centers." "Walkable communities," they say. Translation: dense, urban development. More residents, more cars, more gridlock, more strain on utilities. A surprise announcement will be made: "Good people of [Westbard, Woodley Gardens, Aspen Hill {your neighborhood name here}: in order to further the Common Good and Welfare of thine town center, we hearby impose a Taxing District."

You, the existing residents, will then pay a fourth level of taxation to fund infrastructure. Since this council has a clear record of failure in building infrastructure (Watch video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVi2A-SwT48) , the tax would end up as a slush fund. This would fund tax cuts for developers, and give the council more money to transfer to the developers, unions and non-profits that get them elected. Good deal.

Bad deal for the taxpayer.

Don't believe the hype. The only real Clarksburg bill is one that clearly states that residents are permanently and clearly exempt from funding infrastructure the developers are responsible for.