Where I live (Dover, NH) we have a bunch of cranky, old Libertarian types who have infiltrated our city council, and do everything in their power to prevent their property taxes from going up. Their public behavior is completely obnoxious; they routinely shout down anyone who disagrees with them in council meetings, and the local community paper is little more than a mouthpiece for them (their rants typically share a page with Michelle Malkin's syndicated column).
Their latest scheme? They want to introduce a municipal tax cap tied to the inflation index. More after the fold.
What I find particularly odious about them, is how flippantly they take the issue of public school funding. My wife is a school teacher, so I suppose I have a vested interest there, but as a parent, I'm obviously concerned about the sort of education my daughter will get, and as a property owner, I know that the value of my home is tied to the quality of our schools.
And those are just my SELFISH reasons for supporting school funding. Unfortunately, I don't think the phrase 'for the public good' has EVER entered into their vocabulary.
Long story short, these yahoos recently got a petition signed to put their pet tax cap on an upcoming ballot. A city council meeting is being held to discuss the issue next week, and I want to speak my piece against it. There's little doubt that it will impact school funding, and I want my fellow citizens to FULLY understand what that means for our community.
So I'm looking for examples of towns in your area that have passed a municipal tax cap, and have had it come back to bite them on the ass. Links to newspaper articles would especially be appreciated. Above all, please appreciate that I'm NOT looking to have a debate on the issue.
Thanks in advance for your help!