One of the main reasons I decided to run for Dumfries Town Council in 2010 was that I was tired of sitting on the sidelines while local home values plummeted, property taxes and several additional fees were raised, and the local governing body seemed determined to make Dumfries less and less competitive with our neighbors.
In 2009 – the year before I ran for office – the Town Council nearly doubled the local property tax rate, approved more borrowing, increased Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) rates 10% across the board, increased vehicle tag fees, doubled the cigarette tax and hiked storm water management fees. With Northern Virginia residents besieged by plummeting wages and non-existent economic growth, the last thing government should be doing is adding to their burden by raising taxes and fees that allow government to continue spending without regard for the economic and fiscal realities we are all facing.
