Wake County GOP Opposing Tax Increase | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    RALEIGH - "Fiscal responsibility is defined as living within your means. Democratic County leadership should take a lesson from residents who, when budgets are tight, look at cutting expenses and tightening their belts," said Darren Eustance, Wake County Republican Chair. "It demonstrates a real inability to find solutions when the strategy year after year is to take more from the pockets of our residents and demand that they are the ones who have to tighten their belts."

    Earlier this week, Eustance encouraged residents to attend the public hearings scheduled for May 20th and called upon Wake County Commissioners to give residents more time and opportunity to voice their concerns about the proposed 9.7% increase. There are no public hearings scheduled in Western Wake County and one of the two hearings takes place at 2pm when most residents are working. "We need public hearings on the west side of the county and during more times when residents can attend. Commissioners appear to be dodging the public discourse."

    Wake County's increase has been more than double the state-wide county average over the past 5 years. Property tax rate increases are out-pacing increases in Median Household Income 2 to 1 since 2014. Tax hikes in Wake County are also out-pacing population growth by more than double.

    "This path is unsustainable for residents. They're paying a tax rate that's climbed by 24% since 2014 on home values that have increased by an average of 34%. It's an increase on an increase. We're pricing a large segment of people out of the county." said Marilyn Avila, former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from District 40.

• Contact: Justin Fawson
•     pr.wakegop@gmail.com