Don’t let GOP lawmakers usurp local governments’ control over spending | Opinion
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- Republicans won’t disclose what property tax cap they'd impose.
- Counties use property taxes for schools, police, fire and debt service.
- Editorial says GOP chose a political amendment over passing 2025 relief bills.
The property tax amendment Republicans are pushing in Raleigh isn’t about helpin ghomeowners. It’s about politics.
If Republicans genuinely wanted to help, they would have passed the bills they introduce din 2025 that would have expanded property tax relief for seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. They didn’t.
Instead, they want voters to approve an amendment that would change the state constitution to allow legislators in Raleigh to cap property tax revenue, which counties and municipalities use to pay for schools, police, fire departments, and other items, including debt service. For the current fiscal year, over half of the counties in North Carolina have used property tax revenue to pay for at least 50 percent of their budgeted expenditures.
Republicans insist that some local governments have not been responsible stewards of public funds, which has led to the property tax increase several citizens are experiencing. However, while they criticize others, Republicans haven’t even shared what the actual property tax cap would be. They just want voters to empower them to impose one. They don’t have an actual plan, at least not one they’ve publicized.
I have a plan for them: Take your own advice.
“If Judge (David) Lee wants to help decide how to spend state dollars — a role that has beent he exclusive domain of the legislative branch since the state’s founding — then Judge Lee should run for a seat in the House or Senate.”
Those are the words of Pat Ryan, who at the time was a spokesperson for recently defeated Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger. He provided the comments via email to a reporter following a 2021 hearing in the ongoing Leandro v. State education funding lawsuit.
According to Ryan’s, or rather Berger’s logic, if Republicans want to help decide propert ytax policy for local governments, they should resign their positions as state senators and representatives and run for seats on city councils and county commissions.
“I don’t know how much clearer we can be,” Ryan wrote.
Neither do I.
Rodney D. Pierce is the state representative for North Carolina House District 27 (Halifax, Northampton, Warren).