After SPIN! Video: Should people in special service districts get a vote on taxes?
Published July 15, 2015
After SPIN! "Question to John Hood – We used to call it tax increment financing. Now it is known as service districts where a city or even a county could carve out a special district and tax them differently on the premise those affected would receive special services. Now the legislature wants to put in place where citizens can have a referendum to decide whether to keep the districts or not. What’s your opinion of this new approach?"
July 15, 2015 at 3:49 pm
Frank Burns says:
Charlotte has one of those "special" districts where additional taxes are imposed on businesses located in the downtown to foster the interests of the downtown. All the money is used to hire their own merry band of downtown boosters. They communicate directly with city staff and foster the interests of the downtown over the interests of the rest of the city. This leaves many people in Charlotte feeling left out as they don't have their own boosters for their part of the town. The correct answer is the special districts should be eliminated at least in Charlotte.
