Speaking before borough council, concerned and sometimes angry residents took turns airing their frustrations about a 21 percent tax increase that was included in 2019’s budget.
MORE:
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/01/columbia-borough-tax-talks-turn-tumultuous.html
Columbia Spy 
Maybe since the Murphy's want to use tax payers money to fund their business, all taxpayers should get to eat for free at Hinkles. That is the least they could do for the taxpayers who are funding their business.
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We just need 4 people to run. It will take very little effort to win, the people don't want this new tax increase. But the budget will HAVE TO be cut. In 2012 the borough had 11 patrolmen. Now it has 15 with around a million dollars a year in salary between them. What happened that they had to add 4 more? Did the situation change? What is the $10,000 a year for the drug task force? What do they do? Has the drug situation gotten better or worse? And code enforcement costs us over $100,000 a year more than they bring in. Seems like some cuts can be made there too. Clerical employees as mentioned above as well… There's more to this than just repealing the tax. The budget must be balanced as well. We need people who won't get cold feet when it comes time to send borough employees to the unemployment lines. We need people who will remember that this is to keep them from throwing our retired and elderly citizens out on the street and hold their feet to the fire. I think a freeze on unfunded projects, a hiring freeze and maybe some audits are in order.We need somebody who is eligible to run to step up.
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This isn't over, it went just like I expected the meeting to go. We made our point and it's on TV again, Who looks bad, not the Tax Payers. We need to keep on going, do what ever we can. I hope that all of the people who signed the Petition and showed up at the meeting show up to VOTE THE 4 OUT. Brian Long and I discussed having more meetings getting the people who were thinking about running to run with our support. I am not against making this town better, but don't put us in debt to do it. We need Companies to come in to employee people and pay their share of taxes to the town, Industry to come in and pay good wages, we had it before. This 10 year Tax free is a joke it make this town look like it is so desperate that you don't have to pay taxes to get them in here, what benefit is that to this town. What then they move out. We don't need a town where people only work Part Time, Can't buy a house like that.
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Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not making light of this situation. I realize that many folks in Columbia are on a tight budget. But let's do the math here. 1 mil = 1/1000 or $1 for every $1000 in taxable value. We are going from 6.6 mils to 8 mils, correct? So for a person who owns a $100,000 home, your annual tax if increasing from $640/year to $800/year. That $140, or $11.67/month. So all this fuss over less than $12 a month? We have't had a tax increase in a decade, so we are talking about a little more than $1 a year increase. Really, in the big picture, that's not bad. It really isn't. Now I don't know what a median home value looks like for Columbia but while some will pay more, there are a quite a number of homes in town that are below the $100,000 mark and those folks will see less of an increase. I get that people are upset, i am too. But really? You read the comments here and you'd think this increase is thousands upon thousands for every resident. Look we elected these guys to make tough choices, right? I'm sure no one really wants to vote for a tax increase, why would you? That's certainly no way to be prom king. But we really need to keep some perspective here.
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This is just ONE reason I sold my house after being born in Columbia. Good residents are correct when they say families that been there for generations are leaving. My great great great grandfather came from Germany settle in Columbia and is buried in Mt Bethel Cemetery in Columbia. I was the last of my Family when I moved out two years ago. They DONT care. Here is the situation, I sold to a couple that have three children in CBSD. When I sold my youngest was graduating. So yes, they are right someone will pay the taxes I had to pay, but they DIDN'T think what it will now cost to educate three young children compared to my ZERO children in school. As for the local businesses I don't eat, drink, or shop in Columbia anymore. Starting to see the impacts when people leave Mr. Mayor and Kelly Murphy. Don't get me wrong there are awesome people in Columbia lots of senior citizens with a wealth of knowledge about the good ole days of Columbia. People I look up to people I learned life lessons from. People I will always respect and admire. All the Crime forced me to sell after 47 years of living in Columbia. NOT the crime committed by residents. Not the crime committed by visitors of Columbia. IT WAS THE CRIME OF THE ELECTED OR IN MOST CASES APPOINTED OFFICIALS that have held positions on a couple boards in Columbia. I do however admire and support the residents that are questioning and currently challenging the Board of Crooks.
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It is not just about $140.00 a year. It is about where and how it is being spent. You obviously don't see the entire picture. How about you just hand over $140 to me so I can take a chance on winning the lottery with it. Essentially that is what the Murphy improvement scam is hoping for a big pay off with the use of others money. Do you think the borough gave money to all the current or prior businesses in town. Do think anyone else will even be considered for getting money from the borough to start a business in Columbia? The answer to all is HELL NO. And let the widowed senior citizens know that its just $140 a year!
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Nah, I see the entire picture. I'm ok with this loan program that everyone is so upset about. I'm ok with the borough being aggressive in attracting businesses to town. You can't look around town and not see the the many good changes that have come in recent years. It has been explained that this tax increase has nothing to do with the loan program. Fair enough. Actually the program has been around longer than this increase, so ok, without the increase we'd still have a loan program, just smaller. Also, it has been explained that the program is administered by a lending institution. Therefore, there are qualifications to get a loan. Just like when you buy a car or a home, you have to be approved for the loan. Not just anyone is going to be handed money to be lost. Also, if a business doesn't pay, a lien would be placed against the property so that the borough gets its money back. Its actually a pretty square deal. I believe in the time the borough has had this program, one, maybe two loans have been given, so no, not every prior business has been given a loan and certainly not every business to come will need one. But I'm ok with having such a program because i'm ok with doing what we can to attract businesses here so that we can have a thriving community with a stable and growing tax base so that we need fewer tax increases in the future. I don't support this tax increase. But I do understand that costs of things go up and sometimes small increases are necessary on the other end to pay for them. I also feel that, and maybe its just my opinion, good things are happening here and I want to see them continue. Do we need a loan program for that? probably not. But I don't see what it hurts to have that tool in the tool belt either.
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“Let's do the math here”. Really? Missed the point: It is wrong for private business to profit off of taxpayer dollars. I don't care if it's five cents or five thousand, that's not what it's for. Clueless: $140.00 could easily pay one month's electric bill or groceries for two weeks. Obviously, some never had to rob Peter to pay Paul.
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they would have to get in line for the lein behind other primary leins
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People who support this increase are laughable!!! Can't wait for them to realize they've been had, dumbasses!!!!
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You have acted responsibly?????? Surely, you jest. Every single one of you SHOULD be ashamed for your lack of justice, listening to your constituents, taking into consideration the HIGH number of poverty residents and also the laage number of elderly. You have acted like a couple of school girls who were given a credit card and told to GO SPEND AS MUCH AS YOU WANT, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO LIMIT…IT'S OK, do whatever you want. Well guess what? ALL your time is UP. Step aside and let someone who TRULY cares about our residents and who LISTENS to those who voted for them. You all have made a mockery of this Boro. Hang your heads.
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The third party lending institution is not so “third party” after all. The man deciding on who gets the loans is well known to Columbia Borough. He did work for them by way of a study.
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Oh my God, this is perfectly said!!!!
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It's insane that the council thinks they can pick viable companies to loan money to. If a company is viable, they'll be able to get financing at a bank or through investors. The only kind of companies that are going to come to the council for money are those that are so risky that they can't get a private lender to extend credit to them. If the council members are so convinced they can pick safe and creditworthy companies to loan money to, they should provide PERSONAL GUARANTEES to the borough that the money will be paid back….with interest.
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