NORWALK, IOWA -- It is hard to believe they can bring back the same tax vote in less than a year that was defeated soundly at 85% NO. The worse news is this year you don't even get to vote on it yet it will increase your taxes just the same. The Warren County vote will determine the tax rate in West Des Moines because of Cumming and Des Moines because of Norwalk.
The ballots for Norwalk state it covers all of Des Moines as well. The ballot for Cumming states it covers all of West Des Moines as well. Should it be legal for the 100 votes cast in Cumming to determine the tax rate for the 54,000 West Des Moines residents, the law says YES. Should the 1200 votes cast in Norwalk count to raise the taxes of a quarter million Des Moines residents, the law says yes.
NoLocalOption founder George Davey says, "this is one of the many reasons why the Local Option laws need revised." "They also should require 60% to pass because all over the state communities are passing the sales tax when bond referendums for the same purpose fail." "How many times should citizens be required to vote NO?"
The Warren county officials have guesstimated that because parts of rural Norwalk are in Des Moines the contiguous city rule applies. Likewise, is true with Cumming and West Des Moines. "I think they are wrong, but that is not what the ballots say," says Davey.
It is hard to believe this could happening in America. Tax votes determining your tax rate that you are not even allowed to vote or even have a say in. The local option laws need changed in next year's legislature. Remember 85% of the metro area residents do NOT want a local option taxes and they just voted on it less than 1 year ago so why this, why now in a recession?
###
