Op-Ed: Hats Off To The Mayor For Proposing Tax Relief For City Taxpayers!

The York city budget, like any municipal budget, is more than just about balancing costs and revenue. It is part of a strategy to move the City forward by increasing its vitality, quality of life and competitiveness. It sends a message to current and future taxpayers about the direction of the City.

For the first time in fifty years, people who can live anywhere are choosing to move back to smaller, vibrant urban communities like York City. York’s downtown is developing the kind of housing and culture the new urban dweller is seeking and that benefits all York City taxpayers.  The City’s neighborhoods are filled with gorgeous, affordable housing that meets a variety of needs. York CAN compete with any of the nicest towns in the region or even across the country when tax rates are more comparable with surrounding communities and when it is clear that city leaders are serious about a stable financial future.

We were encouraged when the Mayor, in her state of the city address, set a goal of a 15% tax reduction in the next four years, and now she has proposed getting started with a property tax reduction in the 2016 budget. She called it a “down payment” and we think it is a great one.  Tax cuts are often used to generate economic growth. For example, municipalities have been giving tax incentives to business developers to attract investment into their communities for decades. When 63% of York City’s tax revenue comes from homeowners, the City needs them to stay in York. Reducing crushing property taxes is a powerful financial incentive to a property owner. In the short term, a four-year plan for tax breaks provides hope to the City’s homeowners that their investment makes financial sense. In the long term, lower taxes will attract new homeowners and commercial investors, which will increase property values and generate more revenue for the City.

The Mayor and City Council have been talking about reducing property taxes for the last year.  Now is the time! We urge the City Council to support the proposed property tax reduction as an important step in a long-term economic development strategy to retain and attract property owners to York. Let this budget proclaim loudly and clearly that the City of York truly is a great place to live, work and play.