There is now talk of increased property taxes. While we are talking
about property taxes, there should be a change regarding the double
taxation that city residents face. The residents of Hamilton County
cities such as Chattanooga, East Ridge, Red Bank, and Signal Mountain
pay a full amount of county taxes yet receive only a small fraction of
the services from the county that non-city residents receive. For
example, most people have heard about the controversy over the lack of
police protection for the citizens around the Kanku's convenience store
on Wilcox Boulevard. The Chattanooga police say they don't have enough
officers to prevent shootings at such convenience stores. Did anyone
notice that the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department was never asked why sheriff's deputies were ineffective in preventing the shooting even though Chattanooga residents pay a huge part of the money that supports the sheriff's department? The reason no one asked the sheriff why his deputies were ineffective was because the sheriff readily admits that none of his deputies patrol inside the city. We pay for the deputies but get no use from them. Why not? If we get no use from them, then why do we have to pay for them?

Let the residents of Birchwood, the far side of Hixson, and other non-city areas of the county pay for their own services and stop mooching off of the city residents. These non-city people are just another type of welfare recipient. These non-city
people should have to come sweep our streets and scrape up bubble gum
from our sidewalks to make up for their lack of taxes, or we in the
cities would settle for them just paying their fair share.

Greg Whitcher
North Chattanooga

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Mr. Whitcher I submit your anger is misdirected. Hamilton County existed long before the city of Chattanooga. Many moons ago a group of people banded together and decided to incorporate a city (Chattanooga) and have their own services (police, trash, schools etc.). They named it Chattanooga and set the boundaries. They also formed their own government and decided their own taxes. At one point the citizens even decided to go out of the school business. At any point residents of the city can decide to dissolve the corporation (dissolve the city charter) and return to being simply Hamilton County residents. If a city resident is unhappy with his taxes, he can choose to move elsewhere.

To suggest that residents in outlying counties do not pay city taxes is simply not true. These horrible county residents who live outside the city limits contribute a sizable sum to Chattanooga's tax revenues (every time they go shopping or conduct any other type trade within the city limits). These outlying residents pay far more in taxes than they ever receive in return.

Considering the relative demographics and crime statistics, the average Chattanoogan uses county resources more so than those who live outside the city limits. Silver dale and the Hamilton County Court system is tied up with residents who live within the city limits. The Hamilton County community care services of Erlanger is primarily being used by Chattanooga residents. In short, an honest assessment demonstrates that these "welfare recipients" you so despise provide more proportionately in tax revenues to Chattanoogans than vice-versa.

Chattanooga residents do pay Hamilton County taxes, but it is also true these same city residents use a disproportionate share of Hamilton County resources.

Marie Walsh

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Mr. Whitcher, if you chose to live within the city limits of Chattanooga then you really don't have a beef, any more than I do for choosing to live in the town of Signal Mountain. I knew when I moved here that my taxes would be higher than if I bought a home outside the town limits, but I valued the services provided by the town and chose to live here anyway.

If your taxes are too high, tell your city council person and mayor to lower them and cut services accordingly. If they don't respond the way you wish, vote for someone else next time (or move out of Chattanooga). Fortunately, those of us in Signal have a recall option, which we used once and could always use again if things get out of hand. Even more fortunately, our current council members have seen the recall mechanism in action and so tend to listen to their constituents more closely than did some of their predecessors.

On the other hand, if you bought a home outside the city limits and were annexed against your will, you have a legitimate complaint. Annexation by ordinance is nothing more nor less than taxation without representation and is un-American. If that is the case I hope you fight the undesired annexation and involuntary tax increase, and win.

Joe Dumas
Signal Mountain