Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates running for Spring Hill City Council to address leading up to the Nov. 4 election.
Based on that feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to Spring Hill residents.
Each day this week, we’re publishing the candidates’ responses to one question.
Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
Property taxes: We frequently hear from readers urging cities to consider tax rate cuts or other relief to counteract the impacts of rising valuations in Johnson County. It’s the job of each city’s governing body to set your city’s annual mill levy, or property tax, rate. Is your city’s current tax rate appropriate for your city’s needs? Would you vote for steeper tax rate cuts, as residents often call for? Why or why not?
Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on this issue:
At-Large
Rodolfo Arevalo
1. Conduct budget forensic study to better understand how financial resources are allocated and how they are used. Determine how the relation between strategic priorities of the city is guiding the expenditure of city resources.
2. Consider the implementation of a zero-based budgeting system to ensure that expenditures are effectively utilized.
3. Use economic development growth to diversity city revenues in support of lowering dependence on residential property taxes.
Steven Boswell
Did not provide the Post with a response.
Ivan Delgado
Did not provide the Post with a response.
Michael Grant (incumbent)
Did not provide the Post with a response.
Brian Peel (incumbent)
Every person in our State wants to pay less in taxes and see our public funds be more efficient and valuable, that is not even a debatable argument. Our citizens also want services, quality of life items, and infrastructure deficiencies to be addressed. Delivering all those things makes drastically reducing the mill levy very difficult. I have supported a mill levy strategy which reduces the mill levy in small increments each year and stay consistent in that pattern. This allows us to take advantage of our natural growth and push the mill levy down at the same time. Cutting the mill levy too drastically will risk stifling our growth patterns, which I believe would be a mistake.
At-Large (two-year unexpired term)
Rodolfo Arevalo
1. Conduct budget forensic study to better understand how financial resources are allocated and how they are used. Determine how the relation between strategic priorities of the city is guiding the expenditure of city resources.
2. Consider the implementation of a zero-based budgeting system to ensure that expenditures are effectively utilized.
3. Use economic development growth to diversity city revenues in support of lowering dependence on residential property taxes.
James Savage
Did not provide the Post with a response.
Phillip Thron (incumbent)
Did not provide the Post with a response.
