The following letter to the editor written by Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County board member Victor Wilhelm was printed in Sunday’s Florida Times Union.
Wrong direction
Shame on state Rep. Mike Weinstein for supporting a bill that allows a supermajority of the City Council to pass a sales tax increase without a vote of the people.
This usurps the home rule of families and their community. The intent of only allowing a sales tax increase by referendum for consolidated governments is to protect the outlying communities from the excesses of the urban core. This preserved home rule for communities like Mandarin or Baldwin.
Now 13 people on City Council can decide on the merits of a sales tax increase when it previously required the consent of a majority of the entire county.
Residents in Duval County are quite capable of deciding what services we wish to pay for. Duval County residents voted for over a $2 billion tax increase for the Better Jacksonville Plan.
Political power with respect to the relationship of individuals to government is a zero sum game. By changing the law to allow 13 people on City Council to decide versus over 700,000 individuals, Weinstein has shifted the balance of power in the wrong direction.
