I’m often told by fellow citizens that Pulaski County just doesn’t have the money to spend on things like schools, because “where would that money come from?” So after spending some time with the County budget, I sent the County a few Freedom of Information Act requests to clear up some of my confusion about […]
Pulaski Explainer- “Wrapped” Debt Service
So I’ve gotten a lot of comments and concerns about wrapped debt financing. After spending several years working on legal issues related to the Financial Crisis, I completely understand people having an aversion to financing arrangements that look too good to be true. To be clear, a “wrapped” debt service is not an unusual financing […]
Pulaski Explainer- Middle School Update
Now that we have a formal proposal for the new Pulaski County Middle School, I thought it was time to explain some of the numbers and try to address some of the common questions I’ve heard about the school. First, it’s important to understand the financing arrangement that the School Board has recommended to the […]
A New Definition of Community
Often, when hearing that I moved to Pulaski from Brooklyn, people will say something along the lines of “Well things sure must be different.” I usually try to explain that I grew up suburban New Jersey so living in town is not that much of a change. One thing that did require adjustment is the […]
How much does it cost?: Land Use Taxation in Pulaski County, Part II
Read Part I Here My recent article about the land use program spurred a great deal of debate, which I think should always be the purpose behind any reporting. However, I think some of the debate came about due to some misunderstandings for the purpose underlying my writing of the article. So I hope to […]
How much does that cost? Land Use Taxation in Pulaski County
When talking about taxes in Pulaski County, especially about raising taxes, I am often told “the farmers won’t go for that.” As a counterpoint, I was also told that farmers get a discounted tax rate and thus won’t be affected by any increase in property taxes. While I cannot know for sure what every farmer […]
How much does that cost? Land Use Taxation in Pulaski County
When talking about taxes in Pulaski County, especially about raising taxes, I am often told “the farmers won’t go for that.” As a counterpoint, I was also told that farmers get a discounted tax rate and thus won’t be affected by any increase in property taxes. While I cannot know for sure what every farmer […]
How Much Does that Cost? Digging into the Pulaski County Budget
As we all debate the cost and necessity of a new middle school, one topic dominates the conversation- tax increase. So I went to look at the Pulaski County Budget, to find out what exactly we’re spending money on and perused the 2015-2016 (latest available) Budget Expenditure Summary. One thing stuck out at me while […]
Delegate Time- What’s Nick been up to?
As the recent legislative session in the Virginia House of Delegates recently came to a close I wanted to take a look at what my Delegate, Nick Rush, had accomplished in the recent legislative session. You can find what bills have been proposed, and whether they have been enacted here. I was hoping to find […]
Pulaski Explainer- Tax Reform and the Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction
We’re all hearing a lot more about tax reform these days, and though no one who’s done their own taxes recently thinks the tax system is uncomplicated, tax reform makes navigating a 1040 seem simple. All proposals that deal with tax reform simplification have to balance out changes to tax rates with removal of deductions. […]