At a Tuesday afternoon, June 11 Guilford County Board of Commissioners work session, the commissioners set the date for the board’s adoption of a quarter-cent sales tax increase referendum on the November ballot.
There was some discussion as to whether or not that was the right time to spring it on the public; however, Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said that it was appropriate to take the vote on the sales tax referendum on the same night the county adopts its new fiscal 2024-2025 county budget.
The commissioners’ vote for the quarter-cent increase on June 20 will merely instruct the Board of Elections to place the sales tax referendum on the ballot. Nothing happens unless more than 50 percent of Guilford County voters approve the new tax that’s estimated to bring in $25 million a year.
The commissioners have been putting the sales tax option on the ballot for Guilford County voters every two or three years for a decade and a half – once they even did so twice in the same year – however, in the past, county voters have always voted it down.
A state law passed in 2019 now requires counties to wait at least one year before placing the sales tax hike option on the ballot after voters have shot it down.
About half the counties in North Carolina have voted to approve the quarter-cent sales tax increase.
Commissioners and other advocates of the tax hike believe that this time it may be different in Guilford County because the board is going to promise that the proceeds will go to things like teacher salaries and lower-paid school employees.
Advocates of the sales tax hike argue that some of the revenue raised will come from people passing through the county or those who work and shop in Guilford County but live outside the county. So, the whole financial burden won’t fall on Guilford County residents.
At the June work session, Guilford County Manager Mike Halford noted that – even if it does pass in November – it will be April of 2025 before new money can get to the schools. Estimates are that, if the sales tax hike is approved this November, roughly $6.25 million in school funding could be added to the school system’s 2024-2025 budget that ends on June 30, 2025.
Halford asked if the commissioners wanted staff to prepare the motion for the June 20 meeting and there was agreement that he should do so.
Several commissioners commented that the board would also need to discuss the best way to present the sales tax option to the public since it has been voted down so many times before.
Lol! Come on Scott! The whole burden falls on Guilford County citizens! Hopefully a majority of citizens don’t fall for this ploy of using for the schools. Throwing more money at the schools won’t educate students. The student year end grades already prove that. Vote no.
If they hadn’t taken advantage of home owners with the insane property tax hike they might have had a chance of passing this.
So Chairman Skip and his cronies REFUSE to lower the property tax rate to stay revenue neutral, and now they want MORE MONEY from Guilford County taxpayers??? I am voting NO and urge you all to do the same.
As I recall,……”State law says Guilford County must conduct the revaluation by 2026 – earlier than the county’s existing five-year cycle calls for.” Posted by Scott D. Yost – Jun 7, 2023……………. If values go up, and they most likely will, it would appear that we are already in for additional county taxes…the city council is all giddy thinking about a prepared food tax…..is it ever enough?
“ since it has been voted down so many times before.”
AND IT WILL BE AGAIN!
Apparently not one of our County Council members has listened to the voters
Taxes in Guilford are out of control. Skip and the Skipettes are out of control. Didn’t they have a party somewhere over high taxes?
Skip had a big party at his plantation last Saturday the 8th. He even had 2 Guilford County deputies doing traffic control in front of his house. I’m curious as whether he paid them or were they on the clock. They were there at least 4 hours Saturday afternoon and evening
With the current mood of the beleaguered taxpayers, is this group of politicians that out of touch with us, that they truly believe we will actually vote to give them MORE of our finite monies??
I don’t think any proponents of this tax increase actually and truthfully referred to it as a ” financial burden ” on the taxpayers. It may be true that someone passing through Guilford county might stop and buy a bag of doritos but it’s guaranteed that the cost of this will be paid by all county residents. Consistently. And forever. And future boards may well divert this money to things other than the schools. But I bet your kids will come home with lots of propaganda when the school year starts next fall before the election
I agree with your comment. At least 75% of the tax burden will be paid by Guilford County residents. Vote NO for a tax increase that Skip Alston wants to pay for his $2B bonds. Read the ballot question carefully to be certain that your vote counts as a NO vote.
Why is everyone ignoring the NC Educational Lottery? Get the money from them since few know where those funds are utilized anyway.