Act now against Bernalillo County tax hike!

The Bernalillo County tax-and-spend crowd is at it again. Due to steadily-increasing opposition among citizens like you the Bernalillo County Commission has scheduled a special Meeting on Thursday March 26 at 9:00 am. The planned tax hikes could raise tax rates by 1/4 of a cent per dollar and cost taxpayers up to $42 million a year.

As seen in the chart below, the County’s spending has grown dramatically in recent years:

Even more troubling is the fact that County employee benefits are eating up much of the budget. As pointed out recently by Dan Herrera of the Albuquerque Journal, benefits cost county taxpayers about 40 percent above the basic payroll cost.

So, if an average county employee earned $40,000 in salary, he or she also would be paid about $16,000 in benefits. Or, a total compensation of roughly $56,000.

Considering that the typical cost of employee benefits in the U.S. private sector is about “18% to 26% more than a worker’s base salary, it would seem that Bernalillo County’s over-spending on employee benefits is a serious part of their budget problems.

If you can attend the special GRT increase meeting on Thursday and let Bernalillo Coounty Commissioners know how you feel about a tax increase, that would be ideal.

If you cannot attend the meeting, click on the link below to send an email to each Bernalillo County Commissioner or use this email address: Thanks to those of you who took time to send a message to your County Commissioners. Unfortunately, on a party line 3-2 vote, the Commission voted to raise taxes by 3/16ths of a cent per dollar.