As we all know by now, the citizens of Edmond voted a resounding ‘NO’ to the proposed Edmond Public Safety Center on November 4th.  A recent study was released which evaluates why the proposition failed and, of course, the funding mechanism was the biggest issue, as I predicted it would be.

It appears to me that if a new plan is presented, funding the center via sales tax, it would be approved.  It’s nice to see the residents getting involved and standing up for what they believe to be right.

[where: Edmond, OK]

As election day draws nearer, more and more people are choosing sides on the proposed Public Safety Center in Edmond, which is great. I think this issue has had good press and many people have become very aware of the issues at hand. However, I’ve noticed something over the past week or so that disturbs me.

It seems that the proponents of this proposal have resorted to fear-mongering to get their way. Have you seen the yard signs? No? Well, if you had, you might have a feeling of fear that our city will no longer be safe if this proposal isn’t passed in it’s current form. Images of thug-laden streets and chaos throughout our city might be stirred in your mind as you read the signs, which read - very simply - ‘KEEP EDMOND SAFE - VOTE YES ON NOV 4.’ Apparently if this bill is not passed, the safety level in our city will suddenly drop below it’s current mark on November 5th. BS!

Here’s the deal - from everything I’ve read and heard, the people opposing this move (and yes, I’m one of them) aren’t asking that the Public Safety Center not be built. In fact, I’ve seen ZERO opposition to the need for this center. I fully support the building of this project as long as the cost, terms, etc are acceptable.  Almost all of the opposition comes in when discussing location of said center, and the majority of the opposition seems to be in regard to the funding of this center (my stance). Do you want to pay for this improvement by raising taxes on the homeowners and business-owners in Edmond, or do you think it should be paid for by ALL who benefit from it, through another mechanism, such as a temporary sales tax increase?

So, let’s be adult about this and lose the FEAR MONGERING. If you can get this passed by being honest with the citizens of Edmond and earning their votes that way, GREAT! But if you have to resort to this type of fear-mongering to scare people into voting your way, then you’re no better than the Capitol Hill flunkies we’ll also be voting for or against on November 4th.

As Tuesday’s election draws nearer, there’s more and more discussion about how to vote, and why one candidate is better than the other.  The important thing about voting is knowing who/what you’re voting for/against.  Keeping an open dialogue with other people, whether they agree or disagree with your views, is the only way to truly know who/what you should vote for.  Remaining open-minded and knowing the fact from both sides of an argument is what makes a good voter.

But Tuesday’s vote isn’t just about the election.  Here in Edmond, we also have a very important proposition being put before us.  I’ve blogged about the proposed increase of our property taxes a couple of times over the past few months, and will continue to post more opinion columns about this issue between now and Tuesday.  Please, take the time to read these opinions for and against this issue, and go vote what you believe to be the right thing for the present and the future of our great city!

I posted a while back about a proposed property tax increase in Edmond, and will continue to post about this regularly until it comes to a vote before the residents of Edmond.

Rumor is that the vote will take place in late July or early August, so mark your calendars now and be sure you take the time to vote if this issue is important to you.  Every current and future home owner should be taking interest in this proposal, as it stands to take money directly out of the pockets of ONLY property owners, while others who will benefit from the bill will make no financial contribution whatsoever.

If you ever want to get the public blood boiling, start proposing tax increases… even better, property tax increases.  That’s what the City of Edmond is doing.

This is a topic I could rant about for days, but I’ll try to keep it brief here.  Apparently, the powers that be are proposing a tax hike for property owners in Edmond.  It’s for a good cause no doubt.  I mean, the city is in need of a new ‘Public Safety Center,’ which sounds to me like a new town hall basically.  I certainly don’t argue the need for the facility, but how it gets paid for needs to be carefully evaluated.

As a busy Edmond Realtor®, I get to meet a LOT of home buyers, and I get resistance from many of them when I suggest they look at moving to Edmond.  Guess what the biggest objections are.  The one I get most is ‘TRAFFIC.’  Yes, the growth of our city has caused a pretty big traffic problem, however, the city is doing a great job of trying to catch up to the growth.  Following at a very close second to traffic is ‘PROPERTY TAXES.’

“Again, though, we appreciate the city’s historically minimal and planned limited use of this funding mechanism.”

Limited use??  As it stands, we already have the highest property taxes in the metro, and now we want to talk about increasing them???  Here’s the question I have.  Who benefits from the creation of this new public safety center?  Property owners, YES.  Are they the only ones though?  What about the folks who don’t own property yet.  Do they benefit?

If you want to raise money for a new public safety center, GREAT.  But let’s be fair about it.  All residents here, as well as the others who spend time in our city should be pitching in to help insure their safety and protection while they’re in Edmond.  A sales tax would facilitate a great increase in revenue, without further extending the stretch that many have to make just to own property in Edmond.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I fully understand that one of the contributing factors to the great schools and great city that we enjoy is the high property taxes we’re accustomed to paying.  I gladly accept that in trade, but there has to be a limit.

Caleb McCaleb made a great point in regard to this proposed tax hike:

“Here’s my biggest concern; it’s not one group wanting to add to the property tax but now Oklahoma County Commissioners are voting to buy the GM plant for Tinker Air Force Base”

At what point do these property taxes begin really limiting the appeal that our city has to potential future residents?

Let’s look at some numbers based on the figures used in the Edmond Sun article:

I pulled up the property tax record on a home in the Homestead addition, which is rated at a taxable market value of $234,000.  This particular homeowner paid $2,691 in 2007 property taxes.  Here’s how this proposal would affect a homeowner who own’s a median-priced home in Edmond:

Whether you agree or disagree with this tax or a sales tax, please share your opinion here, and pass this along to as many Edmond home owners as you can to help get the word out… This really needs to be scrutinized by ALL Edmond property owners!