The 2022-2023 budget proposed by City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba includes an enormous property tax increase of nearly 12 cents, but that’s not the only increase.
The tax rate remains the same at 66.25 cents per $100 valuation, but because Guilford County revaluated all the property in Guilford County, the revenue neutral tax rate is 54.56 cents. The revenue neutral tax rate would raise the same amount of revenue as if there had been no property revaluation. Jaiyeoba is recommending no tax rate reduction, which is the equivalent of an 11.69 property tax rate increase. It represents an unprecedented increase in property taxes for the people of Greensboro.
In the past some councilmembers have said that a property tax rate increase does not affect their constituents because most of them rent rather than own their homes. However, renters will also be paying this huge tax increase, as landlords will raise rents to cover the increased costs.
But the massive property tax increase is only one of the increases Greensboro residents will be forced to pay, if the City Council passes Jaiyeoba’s proposed budget. Jaieyeoba is also recommending an increase in water and sewer rates of 4.5 percent, an increase in the monthly municipal solid waste management fee from $2.50 to $3.50 and an increase in the household hazardous waste service fee from 60 cents to 97 cents as well as increases in fire inspection and development fees.
Jaiyeoba’s proposed budget includes adding 69.25 city employees at an estimated cost of $4.7 million. The nearly 70 new employees include adding three to the city manager’s office, including an additional assistant city manager, so Greensboro will for the first time have a deputy city manager and four assistant city managers, an assistant to the city manager and an intergovernmental relations manager.
The Greensboro Police Department (GPD) is slated to receive eight new sworn officer positions. Since the GPD currently has over 100 vacant sworn officer positions and that number is moving up, not down, funding eight new positions will not add any police officers to the streets, but will increase the number of funded but unfilled positions in the GPD.
The Greensboro Transit Agency receives 11.5 new employees in this budget – all for customer service and reservation teams.
The Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise (MWBE) office, which reports directly to the city manager, will receive 2.75 new employees – a MWBE specialist, an executive secretary and an office assistant.
The philosophy behind the budget appears to be summed up in what Jaiyeoba states is Greensboro’s “most important resource.” It isn’t the people and taxpayers of Greensboro or the businesses and industries of Greensboro but, according to Jaiyeoba, the city’s “most important resource: our 3,000+ employees.”
It seems the city manager is saying screw the citizens of this city, especially during a time of high inflation and gas prices. Thanks alot! Wish we could vote him out of office!!!!
Agree! This is totally ridiculous with the way our economy is! The county is going to gouge us so I guess the city has to keep up. With the property valuation increasing so much, the backs of property owners are being broken. We need the . 25% sales tax so others coming into the county can pay for using our services. I don’t know anyone who can’t pay 25¢ more on $100. Plus, the tax would NOT be on food, medicine or gas.
Will someone please help this charlotte moron pack his bags and send him somewhere. Greensboro was screwed up enough before he got here
Hear, hear!
“The Charlotte Moron”… I like it.
Adding 8 positions to the PD just adds more vacancies. My prediction is 200 vacancies by the end of the year. It is simple math.
This city manager is paid an enormous salary. Why does he need all this help in his office? We are not Charlotte. At least if we were we would get some decent concerts, a football team, and triple A baseball. We get homeless downtown throwing chairs through windows. Nero fiddled while Rome Burned.
Quite humorous actually as all incumbents will most likely be returned to their seats on the City Council.
Who in the HE!! is this person. He or she or whatever, needs to get out of Greensboro. We can’t afford anymore, until the Demoncrats get out of office.
As the great philosopher Hong Kong said “Flucked Again.”
He’s a socialist from Africa.
Really.
There is a reason they hired this con man. He’s a thief like the others are running Greensboro and Guilford county. He was about ready to be run out of Charlotte when our crooks-in-charge nabbed him to come load more money in their pockets.
This is criminal what they have done and are continuing to do to this city.
Yep, bigger govt means bend over and get prepared ….no grease to be used. More tax dollars to waste on petty new hires. Betting no improvement on trash pickup etc.
What about the City employees ? like the Street crews that work in the snow and leaf season ? That work in the streets and fix the roads and curbs ? Or during bad weather come out to clear the roads. They are also considered first responders as well. They come out in times of catastrophe and inclement weather. Police and fire wouldn’t be able to do their job if those men and woman didn’t do theirs. Yet they are the least paid in the city. By increasing the cost of living makes it harder on them because they are barely able if at all able to afford to live in the city the work in ?
How you can you be a city employee and work the hours they work and not be able to afford to live here ?
Nothing in this article recognizes or shows any attention to the under paid workers in the field Operations. The average annual income in Greensboro is $44,978, city workers average $33,000 in Field Operations . Average home cost $248,000 before the housing market went berserk.
How will they survive ?
They are free to find a real job in the Productive Sector.
While I agree these employees should be paid more, they do get overtime to come out after hours. Last time I checked they do not always have the possibility of being assaulted.
C’mon John, a 21% hike in your Property Tax bill – in one year – just ain’t enough. We’re forced to jack up your trash fees, water fees, and any other fees we can think of. After all, we have 3000 city employees to feed… and some of them need to be paid $6000 a week, like me. t’s a tough life in the public sector, ya know…? I have 6 kids, man.
Tai Jaiyeoba….. (not really him).
Remember he almost got fired from Charlotte but Greensboro saved his butt by hiring him. Greensboro wake the **** up …. !!!!
Why is an African socialist the city manager of a small city in North Carolina?
Because all the white capitalists are too busy selling coke, polluting your air and water, raising interest rates, making employees work off the clock and foreclosing on your homes.
It must be an interesting little world you live in, fish boy.
Damn fishbreath sounds like where you came from do us all a favor go back North and take your brother Chris with you.
FTJ
As my mothervwould say… these folks spend the tax payers money “Like a drunk train robber”
Hmm, so 8 spots at $40k a pop, plus their benefits…that’s over$300k just for the salaries, over half a million with benefits. Instead of wasting budgeted money on spots that are never going to be filled, you could use that money to buy police cars and get that pesky take home car program rolling.
No, instead City leaders will once again pretend that we are helping the GPD by offering nonsense that will never become a reality. With 13 in academy now and 13 or less in the next one, you will be seeing 200 vacancies in the near future. Stop wasting my money Jaiyeoba and use it for something that makes a difference!
(You should also cut out Cure Violence and any other non-essential spending of taxpayer money.)
Watch the News nancy Texas children were a Massacre not the communist in 1979. Shame on anyone on the council involved in the Massacre sign at Morningside homes. Shame on all of you.
What is this Hugh tax increase going to do for us who are on a fixed income? We are already paying large taxes on our property, cars and personal belongings. Even high gas and utilities bills. When is it enough? Why aren’t they looking out of us and not themselves in their spending habits? No wonderful people are becoming homeless with this type money grabbing government.
Well…..to quote Barack Hussein Obama “Elections Have Consequences”.
You mean Barry Soetoro……………his real name.
He actually had several aliases. Barry Dunham, Barry Soetoro (when he was attending an Islamic School), and Barack Hussein Obama. He likes to cover his tracks.
Throw the bums out. The Dems are taking the advantage of their majority to suck the blood out of the residents to fund their log-rolling feather-bedding schemes in order to entrench themselves in power. How many employees does it take to match up with the billions of dollars the City/County have to hand out?
We are retired, get two SS checks, and have savings to hold us up for a few years. When one of us checks out, our house will have to be sold due to the loss of one SS check. This is wealth re-distribution by de facto confiscation. We worked a lifetime to pay off a mortgage, and save a few dollars. This is our reward.
I can think of but two solutions. Turn them out at election time. Stop sending them money. Any other ideas?
Hmmm.. More positions for your friends is what I am hearing. Corruption and nepotism at its finest!
Retired with a home I worked hard for. Bombarded with offers to buy my house. Taxes going up, income going down. How long before I have no money to pay property taxes? What would you do?
Move to Randolph Country.
Instead of putting complaints in the Rhino which a lot of people read, you should be bombarding the lousy city paper. However, I doubt if they will print them. It would be worth a try.
The more persuasive and compelling a conservative letter is, the less likely they are to print it.
It really is a Left Wing sounding board.