Question: When does an Assessment become a Tax?
Answer: When you don’t pay it.
At the moment, the proposed “assessment” for fire/rescue pensions is a Resolution that was adopted on August 23 and another hearing will take place at City Hall on September 22 at 6pm. I believe that a simple Resolution only takes one public hearing. Setting the tax millage and other taxes takes two public hearings.
All along, the City has said that the special assessment is not a tax. However, the City says that failure to pay this assessment can result in foreclosure including a process that would cause a tax certificate to be issued against the property. At that point, the “assessment” really becomes a tax.
The City says it is assessing against each tax parcel. As the City is assessing 501(c) corporations, Churches as well as the Chamber of Commerce and others that normally never pay taxes, they are really assessing against each property that, in the mind of the City, all become taxpayers the moment they do not pay this assessment and the City files against them to collect. Is this legal? Is it even probable?
Next, the City says it is sending out a separate bill for this assessment? How does that work? Does it not appear on our tax bill just like Solid Waste on the non-advalorem section of the bill? Is this how they are getting around the possible illegalities of this assessment, I mean tax, in order to raise $72,000 difference for the city manager to feel moral and all warm and fuzzy?
The City of Lake Worth is making an end play on the people as well as taxing those entities not even in tax parcels that are 100% exempt from taxes, something even Washington, D.C. can’t do. And our Commission is allowing this to happen.
6 comments:
This should make someone think, do you think?
So, we should expect a bill in the mail from the city for $60? apart from our taxes that we have to pay? Are all the commissioners and mayor approving this? Is it a done deal yet? Can we have a say? I think this should at least be put on our tax bill then, so if we opt to we can pay by November and get the 4% discount. I am tired of paying so many taxes for living in the hood, what do I get for my tax money, I have not seen any improvements in my area in fifteen years, it is still a dump. The fire Rescue only have to cater to all these drunks and illegals anyway who abuse their services. let them pay something. I think they should instead assess more all rental properties int he city and make them pay this, not homeowners who live in their houses, let the rental properties owners pay more for once, their rentees are the ones using all these services anyway. Our city needs to start taxes and assessing more the renters and slumlords in this city more.
Lynn, do you ever hear from the commissioners or the city manager when you expose this stuff or bring things to their attention?
I have had a couple of comments from staff while at City Hall like, Yes, two of us went to Johnny Longboats for breakfast and found it very satisfactory. Another person on staff asked me to remove a comment that was made to me in a personal e-mail. Other than that, NO, not once, not ever. Oh, forgot, I do get a comment every now and then from Commissioner Maxwell that he heard I had dissed him. I usually confirm that in the affirmative. Scott has the best sense of dealing with blog statements than anyone on the dais. I usually figure that silence means agreement or in another analysis, only 15 people read this nonsense.
This is an absolutely ridiculous tax and not thought out at all. Thanks commissioners. You are allowing the city to really hurt the residents here and a lot of the businesses that will have to pay much more. Values of homes are going down and our incomes are going down too. When you will really feel it is when the citymgr starts sticking other costs there. It will get so unaffordable that there maybe there will be a tax revolt. In fact, I think everyone should just not pay it. Are they going to put a lien on everyone?
I hate to say it but this town sucks
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