Google+ and Tax+



Sept 21st 5AM Joined Google+

 I woke up a bit early and after making coffee, I decided to check out Google+. As far as I know (not much) its a social networking site that is competing with Facebook which is going gangbusters at this moment in time. What I do know is that since Google is my email program, Google+  can find folks to be in the Google+ social network VERY easy. Some might say too easy. They have a concept that you divide your contact in to different groups or "circles". The default "circles" are Friends, Family, Acquaintances, and Follow. So I plunged in and so far have 2 folks that have responded. Its quite different then Facebook in the look but the concept is the same. Google+ enables to subdivide the folks you want to network with. 
This way I have a social network tied to my email account. This ought to be interesting.
I just read that Millville City Commission is proposing to raise property taxes 4.2% next fiscal year. Its not that simple as the article in the Vineland Daily Journal points out.

The proposed budget would spend $31,425,986, down about $1.5 million from last year's $32,956,001 budget. Local property owners will pay more than half the cost. One penny in property tax in Millville will raise $146,594 this year, down $1,108 from last year. The municipal tax rate will rise 3.4 percent, from $1.22 to $1.262 per $100 of assessed property valuation, under the proposed budget.One piece of good news is that the county property tax rate for Millville is down 9 cents at $1.18 per $100 due to a rise in the assessment-to-fair market property value ratio in the city. On that same property, the owner will pay $1,486 in taxes or $153 less than last year. The school tax rate is 71 cents. On that same property, the owner will pay $924 this year. The proposed budget anticipates collecting $18,491,204 from local property owners, with rest of the revenue coming from grants and fees. That amount, known as the tax levy, is 3.5 percent higher than last year.

The city has reduced its workforce EVEN laying off police and has received more tax money from the Union Lake Crossing Shopping Center and the NJ Motorsports park.  The public hearing on the proposed tax increase is October 18. I might want to catch the Pittman Express and get to THIS meeting. I will hear the cries and cynical remarks from Millville First who will decry that that folks are being taxed out of their homes, while taking all the credit for the Commission slashing costs.  Here is Paul Porreca the head of Millvile First writing a letter to the Editor in the Cumberland News:

Millville’s Commissioners appear to have at last realized that taxpayers are being taxed out of their homes. Consequently they are laying off policemen and other city employees in a desperate effort to minimize raising taxes. Of course, they blame it on the economy, state actions, health insurance and pension costs. However, the actions the commissioners control are equally responsible for the situation. For the first five years, Millville First has been telling them that their tax-and-spend policies were courting disaster. They were forewarned. Their reaction has been to spend more, divert more income, give more tax breaks and engage in bigger taxpayer-supported schemes under the guise of “economic development.” The time has come to stop. They must concentrate on providing essential city services like police protection. Millville instead is spending local real estate tax dollars on the Levoy, the RAD, consultants, lawyers and the acquisition and destruction of tax-paying properties. If you want the details go to Millville First website, www.millvillefirst.org, or come out to our meetings when they start up again in September. When will it stop? It won’t until the taxpaying, voting public tells the commissioners to stop. Go to the commission meetings. Call them. Write them. Email them. Tell them it is time to stop spending on the nonsense and use our tax dollars for the essentials.

You can expect more of the same on October 18. Well got to catch the 5:43 am 408 with Dave who like to be EARLY