Greensboro’s City Council voted June 19 to spend $543.5 million next fiscal year, $8.9 million more than last year.

The News & Record’s headline read, “Greensboro budget OK’d; no tax hike for ninth straight year.”

After Guilford County’s property revaluation last year, taxes in Greensboro rose 2.11 cents, otherwise known as a “tax hike,” by not lowering the rate.

The city brought in an extra $5 million from the poorly reported increase, while the county lowered its rate 2.45 cents to not raise taxes.

Even though Roy Carroll’s Rhino Times reported Greensboro’s “stealth tax hike” last year, John Hammer let council member Nancy Hoffmann run an election ad stating “Vote against higher taxes,” allowing her to mislead voters after voting to raise taxes.

Hoffmann then voted for Carroll’s $3 million for utility infrastructure to lure Publix and $30 million for his parking deck.

This year, the city increased taxes for monthly parking downtown to pay for new parking decks, which was described as raising “monthly parking rates.”

The “monthly rate increase of 3.5 percent for water wasn’t considered a “tax hike” either.

It’s no wonder our local population is so pacified with such efficient thought conditioning.

George Hartzman

Greensboro

July 8, 2018