View in your browser. Why is almost every major city in the nation infatuated with the Big Three: sports stadiums, convention centers and trains? Charlotte has all…
posted October 31, 2011 by Fergus Hodgson, Dr. Terry Stoops, Dr. Michael Sanera
Montgomery County commissioners have raised the property tax by nine cents over the last three years, from 58 cents to 67 cents per $100 valuation — a 15.5 percent increase. Now the commissioners want voters to approve a quarter-cent sales-tax increase worth an estimated $250,000.
View in your browser. Compared with unsubsidized Glenwood South, taxpayer-subsidized Fayetteville Street is a ghost town Raleigh city leaders are quick to claim victory when…
posted October 18, 2011 by Fergus Hodgson, Dr. Terry Stoops, Dr. Michael Sanera, Daren Bakst
Durham County commissioners are asking voters to approve two sales-tax increases on November 8. The requested increases would amount to $26.5 million per year in new tax revenues. This request comes amid news that state unemployment has been above 9 percent since January 2009 and is currently 10.4 percent.
posted October 11, 2011 by Dr. Terry Stoops, Dr. Michael Sanera
Orange County commissioners are asking voters for a $2.5 million sales-tax increase at a time of high unemployment. Twice before Orange County voters rejected tax increases. Just last November, rural county voters rejected a sales-tax increase by 2 to 1. The ballot offers nothing else for rural voters this time around, while urban voters also must pick candidates for city offices. Commissioners' hopes for a tax increase may hinge on low rural turnout.
View in your browser. According to The Daily Advertiser, Brian Bowman, Wilson’s public affairs manager, is declaring the city’s fiber-optic cable system a success. Built…
View in your browser. The food truck controversy in Raleigh raises serious ethical questions for Raleigh’s city planners, including Raleigh’s chief planner, Mitch Silver. For anyone…
Buncombe County commissioners seek voter approval of a sales-tax hike, promising that the $7 million that would be raised would be given to AB Tech for a new building and renovations,. The funds would go into the county’s general fund, however and could be spent on any legal purpose.