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Resident criticizes council tax vote, says increases will hit renters and small businesses
Summary
During public comment, CJ Grisham said the council's recent budget vote will raise property taxes about $240 per year for the average homeowner and urged voters to replace council members at the next election; the council did not respond on the record in the excerpt.
CJ Grisham addressed the council during public comment to criticize the council's recent budget vote, which he said approved a tax increase he estimated at an average of about $240 per household per year.
"So people of Temple, come the next election, there should be a completely different city council up here because every single one of them voted to increase your taxes," Grisham said. He broke the number down to about $20–$40 per month for homeowners depending on house value and warned that landlords could pass increases to renters.
Grisham urged voters to act and said the increase will reduce consumer spending in local small businesses. He criticized city enforcement practices and accused the council of hiding body-camera footage of police-involved incidents. "These are the people that are stealing money from your pocketbooks," he said.
When pressed by the mayor for clarification about whether any council members had voted against the budget, Grisham said he believed the vote was unanimous and repeatedly asked whether he was allowed to voice his opinion.
No formal council response or staff reply to Grisham's policy claims appears in the transcript excerpt.
Provenance: remarks recorded in public comment starting at transcript time 576.935 and concluding at 748.475.
