After explaining that any reduction in Massillon's 100 percent tax credit would kill any chances to raise Massillon's income tax;
"the credit reduction would have angered a third of the city’s voters.“Than you ruin your chances of ever passing an income tax increase,” (Donnie Peters, The Independent, September 5, 2012).
Donnie Peters championed raising the City's income tax from 1.8% to 2.1%, and eliminating any tax credit on the increase.
Thereby "ruin(ing) your chances of ever passing an income tax increase."
This past Monday night, City Council adopted the Peters plan on an 8-1 vote.
Ward 4 Councilman Tony Townsend voted 'No,'
We believe the majority of Council, like Donnie Peters, don't believe this tax hike scheme, which will go in front of the voters in May, will actually pass.
City Council just needs to look like they are actually doing something, anything to address Massillon's financial woes.
After one year in office, this appears to be the first idea Council has brought forward to address Massillon's fiscal woes, the "vat of red ink" left behind by the overspending of the Extraordinary One, our former mayor, Frank Cicchinelli.
We don't believe they actually wanted to do anything about it.
We believe they were pressured to step up and try something, anything.
"If council doesn’t come up with anything and continues to reject the mayor’s proposals, they are going to have to answer to voters who are wondering why safety and services have been decimated and the city is facing fiscal warnings from the state." (Editorial, The Independent, September 5, 2012).
So they rolled out an income tax that can't pass.
The Independent newspaper is running an online poll at indeonline.com gauging public support for the tax increase.
Let's see how the vote is going -
24% vote Yes
67% vote No
7% are undecided
Wow, it's only losing by 43%.
Should be a real nail biter on election night!
Our Mayor for One Year, "That Woman," Kathy Catazaro-Perry, was on WHBC early Tuesday morning, and a couple of Massillon Review staffers heard the interview while sipping their morning coffee.
Her point was that council had no plan to actually pass the tax they put on the November ballot.
That no one on council was actually leading the campaign, and that they had no fundraisers planned, or money to buy campaign paraphernalia and that there was no strategy to convince the voters to pass their tax.
No campaign strategy and no money.
Sounds like a blueprint for success to us.
But we aren't surprised.
This tax proposal isn't supposed to pass.
The Cicchinelli loyalists don't want the new mayor to have additional revenue.
And everyone else just wants to look like they are doing something, when in reality they are doing nothing.
