The Examiner newspaper reports that Prince William County will almost certainly be raising the tax rate "substantially" in coming months. According to the Examiner:
A 14-percent drop in Prince William County's property taxes will force supervisors trying to fund a controversial immigration plan, a massive park expansion push and a school building campaign to make difficult decisions next spring.Diving property tax revenues are fueling an estimated $8.6 million deficit for the current fiscal year and a more than $51 million shortage next year unless supervisors increase the tax rate next year, as expected.
[...]
"The reality is that assessments have dropped precipitously and as a result of that, the board needs to address the tax rate," Prince William County Board Chairman Corey Stewart said.
It will be very interesting to see what the Republican-dominated board in Prince William decides to do with regard to the tax rate, and what the reaction is. Also, what will the board's priorities be -- park expansion, school building, or an immigration crackdown?
On the latter point, it looks like Prince William will be battling a lawsuit that was filed yesterday in U.S. District Court, and which "argues that enforcement of the measure passed by county lawmakers in July will subject immigrants in the United States legally to unnecessary government intrusion and will violate their right to equal protection under the law."
Looks like Prince William County board chairman Corey Stewart is going to have his hands full in the next few months.
In a 22-page ruling, Breyer [the federal judge] said the plaintiffs -- an unusual coalition that included the AFL-CIO, the American Civil Liberties Union and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- had raised serious questions about the legality of the administration's plan to mail Social Security "no-match" letters to 140,000 U.S. employers.
...
Overall, 7.2 million illegal immigrants account for at least 10 percent of low-skilled U.S. workers and 5 percent of the total U.S. workforce, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of 2005 census data.Illegal immigrants make up even greater portions of workers in specific industries, including 24 percent in farming, 17 percent in cleaning, 14 percent in construction and 12 percent in food preparation.
We have low unemployment rates in the country and in this area, so just who is going to do this work if all illegal immigrants are deported from the country? You, your children, your friends? 24% are used in farming alone. Congress needs to put politics and partisanship aside and come to a reasonable solution to this growing problem.
And to Prince William's BOS: do you homework before doing your knee jerk reaction to a problem.