Tuesday column reprise: 2-cents-per-dollar hike a small price for Salem schools
Daniel Case | Wikimedia Commons | Altered by Dan
Note from Dan: While on vacation with the family, I’m treating you to some columns that ran in the past year. The on appeared Nov. 22, 2011. Since the, the 2-cent surtax on meals in Roanoke has expired and the tax is back to 5 percent. Salem’s remains in effect for the forseeable future.
The wise solons of the small city to our west — Salem — are poised to enact a 2 cents per dollar increase in the meals tax later this month.
This will boost the cost of the best burger in the Roanoke Valley (my opinion) by a whopping 18 cents. That’s the “Black and Blue burger” at Mac and Bob’s Restaurant on Main Street.
Today, we should take note of the hue and cry that’s not occurring.
Salem’s restaurateurs are not appearing at tea party rallies, threatening to move their operations to Roanoke County, or otherwise slamming Salem City Council. There are a couple of reasons why.
One was offered by Bob Rotanz, the owner of Mac and Bob’s. It has to do with the way Salem will spend the extra revenue.
Initially, the increase will cover the debt service on bonds the city is selling to build a new South Salem Elementary.
After that’s paid off, the extra revenue will go into a fund for other bricks-and-mortar schools projects.
Rotanz’s three children have gone through the system. And he knows the needs that are there.
“If they keep it where the 2 percent goes to capital projects, rather than the general fund, I don’t have a problem,” he told me.
Another reason it seems easier to swallow probably stems from Roanoke’s experience in raising the meals tax by two pennies per dollar in 2010.
Certain rabblers that action aroused slammed it as a business-killing affront and a 40-percent tax increase (from 5 cents per dollar to 7 cents).
People will dine outside Roanoke! they cried. Restaurants will leave the city! they warned.
That didn’t happen.
It raised the cost of a big burger at Hardees by a dime, and a large pizza at Dominos by 20 cents. At fine dining establishments, a $100 tab went up two bucks. Restaurant patrons hardly noticed.
In July, August and September of 2011, the meals tax brought in $294,700 more than it did in the same three months of 2010, the first quarter the increase was in effect.
Run those numbers and you’ll realize diners spent $4.2 million more in Roanoke restaurants in the third quarter of 2011 than in the same period of 2010.
In other words, business went up. So Salem knows a similar increase won’t kill its eateries.
We should add a big fat asterisk to those Roanoke meals tax revenue figures, because the city council unwisely adopted the 2-cent surtax for a mere two years. It expires June 30, 2012, and the council has shown little stomach to extend it. Next year is an election year.
The surtax’s expiration will cost the schools about $4.6 million each year, beginning July 1.
So far, the only person brave enough to suggest the city extend it has been Brenda Hale, president of the Roanoke chapter of the NAACP.
On Nov. 7, she asked the council to re-enact the tax increase at a lower level, 1.5 cents per dollar, for two more years.
A nurse by training, Hale likened such a change to a doctor weaning a patient off medication.
Meanwhile, it would save such programs as summer school, and help Roanoke schools preserve the gains in graduation rates and standardized test scores it has made in recent years, Hale told me Monday.
So far, her proposal seems to have gone over like a lead balloon.
Here’s a thought, though:
Roanoke showed Salem the way to a tax increase the latter city is now eying as permanent.
Perhaps Salem can return the favor to Roanoke.
If the Roanoke City Council allowed the meal tax to “expire,” then enacted another one and dedicated that money to capital projects, city schools could avoid the big budget hit that’s coming July 1.
Money they’re now paying for debt service now could be reprogrammed to operations.
Some voters would no doubt perceive the move as council dodging its “two-years-only” promise.
But there’s a budget-walloping freight train bearing down on the school system right now. Is it better to lay off more teachers, and close more schools?
When Salem is imitating Roanoke, you know we’re on the right track.
We should imitate them right back.
August 7, 2012 - 6:00 AM
Shoot, a 5 cent tax on newspapers would really help the schools.
#1 Come on, Henry, Bob H has already called for a 75 cent tax. Why are you wimping out?
Anywho, this right-wing meme is so old and worn out, why don’t you work on coming up with something new? I know it’s tough when you frequent sites like FR to think for yourself, but give it a shot.
Haha! Nice one, Henry (@#1).
“When Salem is imitating Roanoke…”
Oh snap! Salem is going to have several decrepit, half-filled, slummy looking malls? And it’s main thoroughfare is just going to overlook run-down buildings and industrialization?? Is it getting a murder almost every night?? Is it getting a subpar zoo that has 1 snake, 1 spider, and about 7 birds??
Is it going to get a gorgeous minor league ballpark and have a fair every year that draws in tens of thousands? Oh wait, it already has those two…
It’s true. An extra 2% on meals is barely perceptible. The tax does not keep me from dining downtown or in Salem. But these imperceptible taxes and fees tend to add up after a while. And governments at all levels tend to expand to spend whatever money we are prepared to give them (and then some). We should always have a spirited discussion about just how much of our money we are willing to cede to government.
#3 Without Roanoke, Salem would have a 25 percent unemployment rate. A large number of Salemites work in Roanoke.
As for the fair, Roanoke has several annual festivals that combined outdraw Salem’s freak show.
The ball park is indeed gorgeous. Love it.
I believe “dedicated taxes” are a good way to allow the public to decide. Sounds like a tea party solution.
So long as they are not continued from the war of 1812.
Oh, the oldies but goodies, once again. Henry, do you save them somewhere or do you have to type them over each time?
#8 Henry just cuts and pastes those from Free Republic.
Got any data for that, gdad?
Without Salem, Roanoke would have many more jobs come available but still no one willing to work any of them…
Without Roanoke, Salem would have a 25 percent unemployment rate. A large number of Salemites work in Roanoke.
Gdad has always had 24153 envy. Oh and 24018 envy as well but that goes without saying.
24018 carries the prestige of 90210
Suzie:
12.”24018 carries the prestige of 90210″
I wouldn’t trade 24073/24060 for either.
just cuts and pastes those from Free Republic.
Right FR folks know about Salem’s tax.
“I wouldn’t trade 24073/24060 for either.”
Major +1 on that…
Well I dunno, I may trade 24060 for either or at least half of it… haha.
gdad has a fixation with FR. He probably reads it more than me.
#14 suzie, you dolt, my reference to Henry cutting and pasting referred to this comment “Shoot, a 5 cent tax on newspapers would really help the schools.” Freepers and other right wingers us this ALL the time ANY time a newspaper weighs in about taxes. It’s no specific to Salem.
Bye, bye.
#10 Tell you what, Malarkey, I’ll provide my data as soon as you show your data for Roanoke having a murder “almost every night.”
Crickets.
24153 envy? I just spit coffee all over my screen.
Suzie…
Just a question…
I just want to clear it up.
Are you a prostitute?
Because you can answer it straight up.
That would come about as you have made
allusions to me smoking pot.
For the record I don’t.
I know its a defense mechanism on your part
But realize that when you do that how small you appear.
Its called creativity my dear…somehting you’ve not so much
as brushed against in your life.
Now ..how bout that hooker thing?
If you are gonna throw rocks watch out for your feet.
#16 These days, Henry, I look at it a few times a year. But I used to look at it often enough to know some of the standard crap posted there and I see snippets from other right-wing sites. The tax on newspapers line is an old one and you know it.
Sure granddad, and I will provide that data once you stop avoiding my question that was to you FIRST…
http://blogs.roanoke.com/dancasey/2012/08/your-daily-letter-to-the-columnist-august-4-2011/#comment-197117
“24018 carries the prestige of 90210″
Is Suzie trying comedy now, or did her Odometer of Stupid just exceed its mechanical limit?
Poor little man Joe,
Does not do correct Haiku,
But wants Suz in heels.
#20 I love Joe!
#24 Never saw joe claim he was doing Haiku. Malarkey’s just making up crap again.
#22 Malarkey, as we know, you have no data that can prove Roanoke has a murder almost every night. Hence we know you have no intention of providing such data.
Marked Man..
You would be right
about that except for a small point.
It wasnt intended to be Haiku.
It was free verse with occasional rhyme.
You have found your rightful place in Suz-s corner…because
both of you hunt from the shadows..then hide…
neither of you having enough instruction as how to
gain traction,,,you are sideways movers…from the lower rungs.
Ill wait for you to lay one of your regular
steamers here..and present you with
a Haiku if thats what you-d like…
Keep in mind Im not always polite and tidy.
Gee granddad, you STILL avoided the question I linked to above that I asked you several days ago… tsk.. tsk..
“28.Marked Man..
You would be right
about that except for a small point.”
I am not in anyone’s
corner, Joe.
But with what
you said above,
it sure does truly
seem that you admit
I was right saying
that you want Suz
in heels. Heeeheeee Ha.
#30 Malarkey, BECAUSE you’re stalking me across threads again and BECAUSE you’re so insistent about answering something or other, I haven’t even clicked on the link. I don’t know what you’re talking about and because it’s coming from you, it’s of absolutely no significance anyway.
Yes Joe indeed
you are po
light and tiny.
Apparently granddad doesnt want to answer the comprehension question after all… poor little guy.
…because
both of you hunt from the shadows..then hide…
And you are….who, Anonymous Joe? All these leftwingers barking about hiding, and yet what do they do? LOL.
MM really gets under Gdad’s skin. It’s fun watching the ultimate stalking troll get some of his own medicine.
#36 Notice how suzie posted this after I had already pointed out how hysterical Malarkey is getting? She realized MMM going bonkers yet again and had to try to prop him up a little.
Troll girl, MMM is the one who taken to stalking me across threads. He just added to yet another one. He’s the one who always get so manic that he eventually has to drop out of the blog for a little recovery time. It’s quite sad to watch.
#36 Wow, snoozie, after posting #37 I looked and saw at least two new threads Malarkey is stalking me across, bringing up whatever it is he’s bringing up even on threads where I haven’t commented. So now it’s even more obvious why you jumped in in a vain attempt to prop him up. I’ve gotten to him so much that he’s reverted to the same childish behavior he’s exhibited in the past. Any day now he start challenging me to a Tiddlywinks showdown.