Henderson City Council member Bobby Gupton presenting on taxing inequities
During the public comments portion of the Henderson City Council meeting on Monday evening, Henderson City Council member Bobby Gupton showed a PowerPoint presentation to members regarding what he perceives as funding inequities on joint services paid for by the City and the County.
At the beginning of his presentation, Gupton stressed that his views did not necessarily reflect those of the Council as a whole.
During the presentation, Gupton asserted that City residents pay for County services, but the County does not pay for City services. He went on to say that the City taxpayer pays four times what the county pays to raise the same dollar amount in taxes, and thus four times what the County resident pays for jointly funded ventures.
“If you live in the City, you’re getting screwed,” Gupton quipped.
Gupton told members of the Council and the audience that for funding to be equitable, services such as 911, Aycock Recreation, and the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library should be funded entirely from County funds. He explained that this funding arrangement would “distribute the load” evenly among an additional 29,000 people in Vance County who have equal access to the services being funded.
“I know this won’t be popular with the County,” Gupton said.
Gupton’s presentation met with general applause at its conclusion.