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County residents pay for unequal service

by Matt Edens

The peasants, it seems, are revolting. Granted, nobody’s actually descended on the City County Building pitchfork in hand—partly because the handful of actual pitchforks left in Knox County are the property of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., but mostly because there was no need. Shocked at the galling notion that the county was going to spend money not just in the city, but downtown of all places, the anti wheel-tax movement picked up steam. And as letters to the editor decried spending “our” money on “them,” county government scrambled to assure the agitators that the very idea of a new downtown library was just a little prank to see if y’all were paying attention.

And that’s what galls me. Knox County was long overdue for a taxpayer’s revolt, but, the way I see it, the wrong peasants are revolting. And the reason is simple. My neighbors and I pay the same county property tax rate as anyone in Halls, Karns or Farragut, but the county doesn’t provide us nearly the same level of service. Tim Hutchison’s troopers don’t patrol my street. Nor does the county patch its potholes. And when it was repaved a few years ago, it didn’t cost the county taxpayer a dime. Same goes for the new park that was recently built around the corner from me (even though, to judge from the slogans shoe-polished on the windows, a large number of the teams who use the new softball fields come from the deep ‘burbs). The county doesn’t cut the grass there either. And, should I decide to add onto my house, the county isn’t who issues the permit or inspects the work.

The city of Knoxville does all these things, paid for largely by the additional property taxes city residents pay on top of their county tax bill. Out beyond the city limits, the county provides all these same services, and all for the same county property tax rate my neighbors and I pay for much less service. Oh, I also renewed my car registration yesterday, and paid the extra $30 bucks that has so many people riled, same as the roughly half of Knox County’s citizens who live within Knoxville’s city limits will pay. And what do we have to show for it, now that the new library is dead? Well, assuming the tax survives, we’ll get a new high school out in West Knox County, senior centers in Corryton and Halls, a branch library in Powell, a Lovell Road Sports Complex, convenience centers in Powell and Karns, and new or expanded parks in Halls, Powell, Gibbs and near the East Bridge industrial park.

I don’t really begrudge these things. Particularly the parks, since they are public facilities I’m, in theory, free to use. That I’ll actually use them seems pretty doubtful since I get to Halls and Gibbs about as often as folks from those communities claim to come downtown. Although it’s worth pointing out that if a Halls resident does come downtown, they’re likewise free to use the city’s public parks like Volunteer Landing or the softball complex at Caswell without the added inconvenience of having to pay for their construction and upkeep.

In short, city residents are the county government’s best friends, paying the same tax rate for far less service and ensuring that the overall county tax rate remains low. And, in an era when every new subdivision proposed out in the county draws a NIMBY response from residents of the subdivision that preceded it, the city also provides one of the best opportunities for the county to grow its tax base.

I was glad to see signs that the Ragsdale administration realized this. After years of seeing “our” tax dollars spent on “them” it was nice to see a County Mayor willing to acknowledge that the city is part of the county and deserves at least some recompense for the tax dollars Knox County extracts from it. And the theory behind the proposed expenditure seemed sound: quality of life amenities that, while serving all of Knox County, would also indirectly enhance the lagging center-city tax base. A new downtown library was obviously the primary amenity, but Ragsdale’s capital budget also includes money for Five Points redevelopment, a branch library in Burlington, and additional funding for both the East Tennessee Historical Society and Beck Cultural Center. Now the downtown library’s dead. And with the wheel tax in limbo those other improvements seem unlikely. The alternative, of course, is a property tax increase. And if there is, and you live in Halls, Karns or Seymour, don’t come bitching to me. Because you’ll no doubt have more to show for it than I will.

September 2, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 36 © 2004 Metro Pulse