Mr. Raja was the aggressor, going after Mr. Fitzgerald's support of the county drink tax, his ties to labor and statements by the Democrat's campaign that he approved a new sewer fee while a Mt. Lebanon commissioner. (The Republican argues the fee was offset by a cut to the township's property tax rate.)
I didn't realize that the fee was offset by a cut in our property taxes. Why bother reducing our property taxes?
Late in the debate, Mr. Fitzgerald noted Mr. Raja's tech firm, CEI, says on its website that it "strives to be No. 1 in outsourcing.""That's a difference between my opponent and I. My opponent is big on outsourcing. ... I'm about keeping jobs in America, keeping jobs in our county," the Democrat said.
Raja's "offset" tax reduction he claims credit for amounted to about $30/year on an average residential property....or, as someone explained, "..about 6 latte's". The storm water "fee" charge on the other hand is $96/year per equivalent residential unit (ERU).
ReplyDeleteOf course tax exempt properties do not benefit from the tax reduction, but they will have to pay the "fee".
Raja can be a bit loose with facts when it suits him.
Bill Lewis
Don't forget the tax offset was on a $200,000 average property and Raja owns a $465,000 assessed property and a $438,000 assessed property. Therefore Raja got a tax reduction on several times $200,000 - many more dollars than the average resident. Raja took care of himself but not too many others with his tax offset to the storm water tax.
ReplyDeleteJohn Ewing
John,
ReplyDeleteThe $465,000 assessed property was purchased by Raja on 8/21/2009 for $920,000 and a $400,000 renovation/addition will be completed this year....no wonder he is opposed to implementing the 2012 county reassessments.
Bill Lewis