It’s almost too stupid.
Virginia Beach’s budget is about $1,800,000,000. City Manager Jim Spore rolls out tax increases on real estate, personal property and, of course, cigarettes (per the Virginian-Pilot). It’s tone-deaf of mammoth proportions, but he’s not elected. He’s not expected to care, but the Mayor Will Cotton-pickin’ Sessoms has been pushing for higher taxes for a while now. Sessoms ran as a Republican and then endorsed Democrat Jody Wagner for Lieutenant Governor while the rest of Virginia laughed and easily re-elected Bill Bolling. How many strikes is the GOP giving Sessoms?
Here’s where it gets really stupid.
The tax increases only add $17.8 million to a 1.8 billion dollar budget. One Percent of the budget? Spore couldn’t find enough offsets and cuts to cut an additional One Percent to avoid raising taxes in a recession?
And don’t give me the old “we’ve cut to the bone, we’re lean, we’re mean” garbage. Spore found $63,000 to underwrite his recent employee’s organization to find out “how much residents are willing to pay for the (transportation) improvements.” (story here)
Ain’t that cozy? The budget is so tight that Spore wants to raise taxes, but hands 63K to his old buddy to “pay for speakers.” Hmmm, how do you find out what people want by hiring speakers? Shouldn’t they hire listeners?
“Under Spore’s budget, 200 positions would also be cut, half of which are vacant. But Beach officials don’t anticipate layoffs, as employees whose jobs are eliminated would be transferred to open positions.” (VP)
That doesn’t save money. If you eliminate 100 vacant positions that you aren’t paying anyone for today, you aren’t paying any less tomorrow. And for the 100 you are paying, if they all stay employed but with different jobs, you still aren’t paying any less tomorrow. How is that saving money???
Here’s the real test for stupid. In an election year during a recession, what genius thinks elected officials, especially those facing the voters in mere months, are going to gamble their political futures on a tax increase that amounts to less than one percent of the budget?
Maybe Spore and Sessoms are used to the days when elections were in May and the budget vote was after Election Day, and not before it.
