Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Not twisting

You want to question where I got my information then you should also question where Fix and Smith got their information. I will tell you that I have talked with people at the city and also members on council over the years. Fix and Smith CAN'T MAKE a statement like and have facts to back it up. The computer system at the city is so screwed up that data like that is simply not available.

I also will tell you no matter where I have worked over the years I have always paid city income taxes with no credit to another city. The city taxes any and all investment income and side jobs and other sources of income. The only families it won't affect are those that only have jobs in another city and they have no side income to supplement their incomes. That figure will not be 85%.

Even the seniors will pay taxes on their after tax investments and other incomes not associated with retirement income. Giving the council that kind of information is simply beyond the ability of the city staff.

Using the budget figures posted online my figures are correct and they are not twisting words in any way. When they say 85% will not be affected and you look at who is paying and who is voting then that adds to the question of where the increased revenues will come from. Using their numbers then we can say that 40% of those that are going to see an increase in their city income taxes don't live in the city and won't be able to vote for the increase.

The point here is we must ALL rely on figures coming from the city staff. Fix and Smith know the numbers they are tossing out are coming from the city staff and they also know that there have been some big errors in those numbers over the last year. Yet they pull out a comment and percentage that has no basis in fact. My number of 54% is based on actual numbers coming from the city budget posted on online. Where did they get theirs?

Interesting

So you're supporting the staff when they created the budget and it has numbers that support your side of the argument but you think this same staff is off-base when they gave the numbers to council about the percentages?

So what you're saying is ''Staff is right when I agree with them and they're wrong when I don't'' - is that how I'm reading that?

Budget is public information

I support the staff on their budget figures because it is public information and it is also audited by the State. If their were discrepancies there we would soon find that out.

The figures that Fix and Smith are using are private and protected. You and I can't go into the city computer system and look up individual accounts and joint income tax returns. The only way you are going to reach that figure of 85% of the taxpayers not being affected would be to break down the income tax returns by individuals and then sort them by addresses. The city has no way of doing that with their computer system and that data is protected by state law from outside interests of doing the same.

The reports given to me by a member of council were really screwed up. They sometimes count things twice and in other categories they lump things together.

I will tell you that there is about 65% to 70% of the residents that live here and work there. I have asked has that has ever been sorted out by the total number of taxpayers not just the dollar amount? I was told no. So how do we know how many families (voters) are with-in their so called 85% non-affected have spouses or other family members that will be affected? I know my wife and I file joint returns and we both have outside income that we must pay taxes to the city WITHOUT the credit. Are we part of the 85% (I am sure we are) in Fix's mind because I have a job in Columbus? I think what you must understand is that Fix is not a very deep thinker if he could be considered a thinker at all. He has never had an original thought that I can recall and goes with the flow and the strongest argument.

I would hope you could understand the difference

My Story

My husband and I live in Pickerington and work in Columbus. My company has attended meetings with Columbus City officials where the subject of an income tax issue has come up. It appears Columbus will put that up for vote next year.

Guess what? We don't get to vote for or against it. We just have to pay it when it passes which it will. They are sort of in a reverse situation than us. The majority of their taxpayers work there and live somewhere else so how can an issue that will generate that kind of money from outside the city fail?

I think you are making way too many assumptions here Ted. I like it a lot better when you were signing your postings. They were much more thoughtful and insightful and not as personal or mean as you anonymous postings.

To the current councilman posting here anonymously, shouldn't you be a little more careful with your words? You are obviously posting information that only you as a councilman could have at this point in time.

Get a grip everyone. Ted, you made some good points and got the finance department to take a second look at their numbers. So now because council is not doing exactly as you direct them to you attack. Shame sir. You are quickly going from being part of the solution to being part of the problem.