Rogers proves to be a canny capitalist
Most politicians talk a good game when it comes to fending off the ravenous tax monster, making grandiose promises to reduce taxes, or at least avoid increasing them. But few really manage to follow through on those promises.
George Bush the elder’s infamous campaign slogan, “Read my lips, no more taxes,” is a prime example. And we all know what actually happened not too long after he was elected. That’s right, he went right ahead and raised taxes.
So it’s a welcome change when our local politicians are apparently breaking the broken promise habit.
City residents were no doubt pleasantly surprised when the Board of Mayor and Aldermen kept its promise to lower property taxes when voters gave the go-ahead on the sales tax increase in the recent referendum.
These days voters are so accustomed to being duped that a case of politicians doing exactly what they said they were going to do is enough to make some pundits scratch their heads in wonder and insist the ax will still eventually fall.
But that doesn’t keep the rest of us from respecting and appreciating the integrity of our local officials in keeping their word to us.
So it’s with great pleasure that we watch another of our politicians work to keep his campaign promises, even though he has done so in a somewhat unorthodox manner.
Many people may have found County Executive Kenneth Rogers’ purchase of a home appraised at $66,000 for the seemingly ridiculous sum of $1 a strange and roundabout way to cut taxes, but that was his stated goal from the time he became aware of the HUD program that allows such purchases.
Though not actually a tax cut as such, there’s no doubt that increasing revenues for the county amounts to the same thing. Rogers actions will produce the equivalent of 1.5 cents in property taxes even if the house sells at the minimum bid of $60,000, and could produce significantly more.
One of Rogers’ main campaign promises was to avoid raising property taxes. He has said all along he will take any route to try and achieve this goal. Some of his ideas, like selling advertising on sheriff’s department vehicles, have met with skepticism and controversy to the point of being abandoned. But to his credit, he has not been discouraged by this. He continues to utilize every method at his disposal by either reducing expenses, such as the vegetable garden at the county jail which supplies food for the facility and work for the inmates, or increasing revenues, like the purchase of the house.
Obviously, Rogers took advantage of a situation where he had essentially no competition in the bidding for that house. Is that a case of swindling the state?
Of course not. It’s a case of capitalism at it’s finest. Buy cheap and sell high. It’s the American way. The state had no problem with it, even going so far as to pay over $800 in back taxes on the property.
And like Rogers said, the house will provide a bargain for some qualified buyer, and at the same time wind up back on the tax roles. It’s a win-win situation for the county any way you look at it.
Way to go Mr. Rogers. More power to you on projects like this one. Keep looking and keep up the good work.