September 8, 2010
Raising taxes allowed St. Mary's Board to have the money for shady deal on Hayden Farm
St. Mary's Commissioner Candidate Dan Morris on the Town Hall Alliance float at the St. Mary's Fair on Sept. 26, 2009. Photo courtesy of ST. MARY'S TODAY
No good comes from the deals done in the dark of night and at public hearings held on Christmas Eve. The St. Mary's Commissioners, with the exception of Larry Jarboe, raised taxes over the past two years instead of maintaining the Constant Yield. As a result, they had the money to pay nearly double the value of the Hayden Farm.
Therefore, the citizen needs to understand that not only do you lose out when the Board raises your taxes, but then that tax hike funds purchases of land from their pals such as when they bailed out the developer who owned the Beavan Tract and the Hayden family.
Now to make matters worse, the Board is preparing to build a $13 million library on the Hayden Farm. This is money that we cannot afford and even to make matters worse, they propose to put the county deeper into debt to build the library.
What that means is that the next Board will have to raise taxes even more to fund paying for road overlay projects, school renovations and an addition onto the jail.
Teachers have to be paid and so do deputies. But by having a $13 million Mega Library which we do not need, the taxpayers cannot make any choices, as it is not a choice to lay off teachers and cops, it is a tragedy.
What started with a tax hike, was followed by a Stinky Deal to buy the Hayden Farm and this will be a central theme of the Town Hall Alliance, to remind voters of what happens when deals are cooked in the back room.
We just can't say it enough, the Hayden Farm Deal Stinks. The Hayden Farm Deal Stinks. Not saying so won't make this deal smell any better and those who don't think so must have their heads stuck in the sand.
Our senior citizens are always hit with higher fees even if their property taxes are capped, higher fees are taxes too, don't ever forget it.
When money is wasted on buying land when there is already land the county owns that is not used, when the public hearing is held on Christmas Eve, and the purchase forces a tax hike, that deal just stinks. The Hayden family made out like bandits, they got to keep the property along the highway, they got prime money for undesireable portions of the land and they have old slave graves that are unmarked and will have to be preserved. In addition, the environmental report didn't even evaluate the areas where hazardous materials are stored making the cleanup costs yet to be determined.
The Hayden Farm Deal stinks.
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What kind of backroom deal is Tommy Mattingly cooking up now and will they have another sneaky deal for Christmas Eve this year? I am going to vote for Larry Jarboe's slate and get rid of the good old boys.
About four years ago, Danny Morris and Tim Cameron joined me at my fundraiser in Ridge. Both men expressed an interest in running for sheriff.
I told Danny and Tim that they should work together as a team to get the job done rather than oppose and weaken each other.
Danny, to his credit, offered to become Tim Cameron's Campaign Manager. They made a great team. Today, Sheriff Cameron is the best St. Mary's CountySheriff in my memory.
Now, Danny is on our team of commissioner candidates commiting to provide the basic needs of public safety, education, and road infrastructure while freezing the exhorbitant property tax increases St. Mary's County residents have suffered through.
His combination of law enforcement knowledge, integrity, and humility will be needed by the new Board as we face the challenges of these continuing poor economic times.
If you would like to become part of our Town Hall Alliance Team, we must have your help in the Republican Primary Election in September.
Should you need to change your affiliation to bring tax relief, open government, and common sense leadership back to St. Mary's County, voter registration forms can be obtained at the Board of Elections office in Leonardtown. We also have these forms available at all of our Town Hall meetings and fundraisers.
We would be honored to have you on our team. Welcome to the A-Team!
Larry Jarboe
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