A couple of months ago Mayor Mike Martin proposed returning the collection of the license fee-you know, the dreaded $40 sticker tax-to Kenton County. Martin believes that the move will ensure more people pay the fee when they head to the court house on their birth month to renew their registration. The city attorney did the first reading of the ordinance to make that change at the November council meeting in Martin’s absence.
Setting aside the fact that Martin has completely moved on from his broken promise to repeal the sticker tax, remember that old devil is lurking in the details.
If council approves Martin’s proposed ordinance, you can kiss goodbye all the license fee revenue that has been collected from residents who operate out-of-state vehicles and company cars. That represents nearly TEN PERCENT of the revenues currently being collected. They are residents of the city. Shouldn't they also pay towards repair of the city streets?
Remember that the courthouse clerks will simply ask Villa Hills’ residents renewing their vehicle registration in Covington or Independence, “Do you want to pay your city license fee today as well?” How many of the free-roaders who aren’t currently buying their $40 stickers are suddenly going to say, “Yes”? The Martin Chronicles ventures to say that number will be close to zero.
Not to worry. Martin promises to file suit against any resident who declines to pay the fee. Once again setting aside the incredible fact that the man who once promised to eliminate the fee is now going to sue those who don’t comply, HOW MUCH IS SUING EVERY RESIDENT WHO DECLINES TO PAY THE LICENSE FEE GOING TO COST?!?
It gets worse. 2011 was a dreadful year for street repair. While Martin built a new parking lot at the city building, he didn’t get much road work done. Mostly because of mayoral mismanagement. If the council agrees with Martin’s idea to return the collection to the county the city’s street repair program will fall even further behind. Why? Because the revenues that the county collects from people who renew their registrations after July won’t be available to be used for street repair until the following construction season. That represents more than FORTY PERCENT OF THE TOTAL REVENUES COLLECTED ANNUALLY.
Had Martin not gutted the Villa Hills police department, he could have turned them loose to enforce the license fee. But it is far too late for that.
So why doesn’t Martin keep his promise and push to repeal the $40 per car sticker tax? Then put forward more than the most recent deceptive, “half-baked” effort to educate the voters about the real need for additional revenues as a way to get them to approve a future road tax ballot initiative.
The Martin Chronicles is concerned that this whole process is a charade to set the stage for Mike Pope’s street assessment proposal. We can see it now. Villa Hills will suddenly be faced with a cooked-up street repair crisis. The only solution available to Martin? Making you pay for the street repair in front of your home.
How will the assessment be collected? By adding the street repair cost to your property tax bill. Despite the fact that more than SEVENTY PERCENT of the voters shouted a resounding “NO” to the Martin/Pope/Noll street tax in November 2011, they will still try to dip much more deeply into YOUR WALLET through your property taxes!
That is precisely why you have to remember who has been coming after more of your money when you go to the polls for the council election in 2012 and in the mayor’s election in 2014. Assuming Martin still occupies the office at 720 Rogers Road.
