Karen Hruza asks the pointed question about land values in Sidney valued at more than $4,500 per acre and wonders why and how they could be so much.
The basis for property value is a complicated one, but has something to do with home sales in your neighborhood, improvements you make to your property and any infrastructure improvements that are made in the neighborhood such as street repair, underground power lines and of course, greed by taxing authorities who seek to extract as much of your wealth out of your property as possible. Given the condition of the aforementioned "improvements' by the city on street repair, one has to ask why values keep going up in an economy that continues to go south.
Gary Person, like a metronome keeping the beat, touts how Sidney land values keep going up over the years. He doesn't have to raise taxes much, but the absolute dollars goes up every year. Whether its for a 17 million dollar annual shareholders convention center, or an increase in water fees, he is all about the progress of separating you from your money.
I wish I could re-read Karen's LTTE again, but the piece of crap Sun-Telegraph doesn't seem to be available in its present ap award winning form. Probably another one of those pesky IT problems Sue Mizell mentioned. Speaking of which... Hey Sue... how's your investment in the clothing store going?
It is a bit ridiculous that despite homes sales trailing off and the average amount of time a home spends on the market, that property values continue to rise in Sidney. Unfortunately, the tax on land is one of the most expensive taxes you will ever find, even more so that personal income tax. The government is going to hit each of us where we live.
Possibly there should be a new focus on the city budget. We have a bus runnin around town makin less than ten bucks a day in revenue. They said the visitor center was paying the first year, who is gonna foot the bill for the second year? Not to mention our new transportation pond (swamp).
ReplyDeleteI agree. There should be a focus on the city budget. In listening to the visions laid out by councilmen last week, it became clear to me that there are some on the panel who clearly believe in form over function. The city is willing to spend tax payer monies to build a meeting place, ostensibly to help them forget how bad the roads are to drive on. The land deal with the railroad is also a horrible idea. Who is going to pay for the environmental impact study to certify the land is clean and not a superfund site in the waiting?
ReplyDeleteThe city's priorities are out of whack with reality. They know it, you know it and the only question is, what are you and people like you going to do about it before they lock you into a lifetime of taxes to pay for it?
Oh, and btw, the ruse to have a bus line was perpetrated on the backs of Nebraska tax payers just so Gary could have a new bus or two. The moment that the realization sets in as to the roflmao bus line will NEVER earn a self-sustaining revenue stream, it will be retired. But what the heck, at least the kids from the northside won't have to walk so far to their pool.
ReplyDelete