Local

Saginaw voters to decide on tax cap -- again

Monday, November 02, 2009

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Terry Camp
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SAGINAW (WJRT) -- (11/02/09)--It is election day Tuesday, and Saginaw voters will have a familiar ballot proposal before them.

City residents will be asked to lift the community's tax cap for the seventh time since the cap went in place 30 years ago.

The previous six attempts have failed.

When you talk to Saginaw residents, most believe lifting the tax cap will raise their taxes, but that's not necessarily true.

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"I would be against it right now." said Lawrence Bowen.

The big issue on the ballot is Proposal 8, a proposed change to the city charter which would lift the city's tax cap, which has frozen the city's property tax intake at $3.8 million since 1979.

Most of the people we talked to say lifting the cap will mean higher taxes.

City officials say many property owners will see a decrease in taxes in this tax restructuring plan.

But Mike Bringer, who owns Bringer's Inn, says taxes on personal property -- which is equipment used for operations -- will go up.

For a restaurant like his, that means cooking tools, which he has plenty of.

Wayne Ferguson hopes lifting the cap will mean more police.

"I live in a place where there are gunshots fired every night," he said. "When the police show up, they drive through, and what happens? Nearly nothing."

Just hours before the election, some are still undecided.

"I'm going to talk to my mother and see what she says about it, and I might go with her," said Mark Hughes. "I might not. Mom knows best. Yes sir."

The last time the tax cap question went before voters was in 2005. It was voted down by a nearly 2-1 margin.