Politics & Government

Readers Sound Off on New Schools or Tax Cuts

North Baltimore Patch readers said they would choose building new schools.

According to our unscientific poll, 61 percent of our readers would choose building new schools in Baltimore before a property tax cut.

But the readers who left comments about the choice were much more evenly divided.

Comments:

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Elimiate waste and fraud in welfare programs --- Md Medicaid is out of control. And have the other half pay some state income taxes. Half of all Md families pay no income tax. Cannot afford to give them a free ride.

that is an unfair question. What about the past $500,000 renovation to city school headquarters? take that cut. stick it into school buildings. attract more tax payers into baltimore city by lowering property taxes. while i'd love to live in the neighborhood i'm renting, i can't justify the expense against moving over the county line and saving thousands every year. sorry. baltimore city, get it together.

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I think a property tax reduction will do more to keep middle class families in the city. If that happens, those families would then demand that schools get updates. Brand new schools serving an overwhelmingly low-income student population isn't going to magically create outstanding students, economic development, or population growth. In my opinion, lowering taxes will help do exactly that. I know many, many people who have told me that the ONLY reason they and their families don't live in Baltimore City is the high property tax rate.

I agree with Andre Stone 99%. I do believe building new schools will give temporary economic growth as someone is going to have to do the construction work. But the chances those construction workers will be Baltimore City residents is slim.

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(comments may include abbreviations because 140 character limit)

ryost 

Shouldn't be an either or Q. Lower property taxes potentially = more residents/larger tax base = more tax revenue.

dennisthecynic 

Weary of policy on the back of projected revenue (since the city sucks at projecting), but if I must choose, new schools...

melissa_schober 

Need to fix schls or we cont to lose pop making it nec to raise prop tax or make other serious cuts which drives down pop

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Bret Matthew Scharf Holmes

tax cut - there is a blue print out there in the world in Philly, Richmond and even NYC - lower property taxes and add incentive for people to buy home and you build your tax base - raise taxes and you will lose your tax base over time caus...ing you to continually raise taxes. It needs to stop somewhere - Baltimore loses 20k residents every year and sadly their main complaints are no schools, and taxes - so... If you want to solve it long term - you cut property taxes, invite developers in, and encourage young people to start families here and then you will have a rise in your taxable base allowing you to not raise taxes going forward. Else... tax and spend... and we'll all just leave.

Karen DeCamp

New schools, hands down!

Paul Schiffbauer

Since the money never seems to find its way to the schools i'll vote for property tax cut.

Scott Schools

new schools, construction jobs now, hopefully less government dependence later. gotta think about the long haul. just sayin,


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