Organizers appeal for county to reverse vote
The pushback against the Walton County Board of Commissioners and its recent millage rate increase continues to mount, as a protest and petition drive is gearing up for Thursday evening.
The Walton In Action citizens group has started collecting signatures on a petition urging the board to reverse its vote on the millage rate, which passed Aug. 5 and pushed the tax rate for the county up nearly two mills, a 19.55% increase.
The group is also planning a peaceful protest for Thursday at 6 p.m. in front of the Walton County Historic Courthouse to further pressure the board into rescinding the rate increase before Sept. 1.
“Commission Chairman David G. Thompson claims that the millage increase was needed due to a ‘perfect storm’ of required spending to build a $42 million park and simultaneously operate two jails,” Walton In Action organizers released in a statement Monday. “Never mind that the park land was mostly donated by a local and connected developer, the overall costs are more than the taxpayers are willing to spend at this time. And this is not a ‘defund the Sheriff ’ issue.
“It is an issue of careful strategic planning and fiscal responsibility so that our public safety partners have what they need to keep our community safe.”
The group said Thompson’s actions inspired much of the need for the protest.
“Through email and public meetings, Chairman Thompson has chosen to insult the voters by telling us to ‘stop whining’ and get educated,” the statement continued. “We are educated and we see the issue as less on tax increases and more with HOW and WHY our dollars are used. The issue before Walton County citizens is not whether their taxes will increase, but that the significant millage increase will have lingering effects due to poor strategic planning, fiscal irresponsibility, and tax and spending actions.”
The protest will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday night at the courthouse. For more information visit www.stopwaltontaxhike.com.
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