by INFORUM
Group forms to oppose proposed sales tax to fund Fargo-Moorhead area flood diversion
October 5, 2010 at 7:35 am in INFORUM
Group forms to oppose proposed sales tax to fund Fargo-Moorhead area flood diversion
13 Comments
I was wondering when someone was going to for a group.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Lindgren sets up a group for every tax issue that goes for a vote! Maybe he should gtet a life! No wonder the city didn’t progress when he was mayor
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Lindgren is against the tax. That’s enough for me to vote for it.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Next time we’re dealing with flooding, I hope his yard is starkly bare of volunteers.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
If the sales tax doesn’t go through, you could always just put it in on the property taxes.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
It’s about time someone stood up against this (and other) non-specific taxes. It’s just a way for government to get their hand on money for pet projects.
Like or Dislike:
2 
1
I disagree. When a home rule county or city elects to levy a local sales tax, the governing board of said city or county is required to put a measure before the people of the affected jurisdiction for a public vote. The people must vote to approve the measure before the tax becomes effective.
A local sales tax can only be used for one specific purpose. It is not a means by which government can get their hands on money for pet projects. That would be illegal.
Like or Dislike:
0 
2
Jon Lindgren has opposed just about every local sales tax initiative. The problem is that he still has a lot of followers who will follow him like blind sheep and vote against it just because he says so.
Fortunately, this is a county wide initiative which only requires a simple majority to pass. This is not a municipal sales tax initiative which requires a 60 percent super majority to pass.
Hiking the sales tax an extra half cent is a rather painless way to go about the task of coming up with the local portion of the costs for a permanent flood control system.
I get the point that in particular, Fargo property owners are being taxed out of their socks with no end in sight, so it is essential that this sales tax initiative be adopted … otherwise these costs will be passed along to property owners in the form of increased property taxes which do not require voter approval to be enacted.
Think about it.
Like or Dislike:
0 
2
But wouldn’t it be more appropriate that the property owners who would benefit from the diversion pay for this through property taxes?
Like or Dislike:
2 
1
No, sir.
The financial burden for these projects must be evenly spread. To place this upon property owners in the form of increased property taxes is totally unfair.
Unfortunately, the sales tax is the only way to evenly and fairly spread the burden. This means everyone, both residents and visitors to our community, will equally share the responsibility.
I know that the people who come to Fargo to shop from out of town bemoan the fact that our municipal sales tax is one of the highest in the state, and many say they’ll never shop here again. But guess who’s the first ones through the doors of West Acres, Walmart, etc.? The same out of towners.
At least, an increase in either the county or municipal sales taxes must go to a vote of the people. An increase in the mill levy for property taxes does not require a vote of the people.
Since this is a Cass County initiated measure; then a simple majority (50 percent plus one vote) of YES votes is required for the sales tax measure to pass. If this were a Fargo municipal ballot question to amend the home rule charter, the measure would have to pass by a 60 percent supermajority of yes votes.
Increasing the sales tax in my opinion is a rather painless way to raise the local share of the costs for these permanent flood control projects.
Like or Dislike:
0 
2
Why must the burden be spread out amongst everyone? Other than the fact that it can be done that way?
Even within the proposed diversion there are varying levels of benefit and protection. Are the homes that are west of 25th Street receiving as much of a benefit from a proposed diversion as the homes along the river? They certainly aren’t the homes that put the city at such heightened risk. Other than the downtown area most structures that are at the greatest risk are the homes along the river.
Take a harder look at how your own neighbors within Fargo are putting the city at risk before putting the financial burden for your problems on others.
Like or Dislike:
3 
1
Because property taxes, particularly within the Fargo city limits, are going through the roof. Property owners are being taxed out of their socks.
Therefore, an increase in the local sales tax is really the only other workable option to raise the necessary funds.
I suppose a third option (which has never been used anywhere in North Dakota) would be a county or municipal income tax. I don’t think home rule jurisdictions such as Cass County or the City of Fargo would be empowered under state law presently. I’m sure it would take a change in state law which would have to come from the Legislature or through an initiated measure. Then the question would have to be presented to the voters in the affected jurisdiction and be approved by the voters before such a plan were to become effective.
Believe me, an increase in the sales tax is the much more palatable way to go. It would only amount to a an extra cent or two on each dollar spent; plus as I said before, it would equal the burden between residents and visitors alike.
Like or Dislike:
0 
3
It’s all “lets do something about the flooding problem” until someone says “we need to pay for it”
Like or Dislike:
3 
1