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Shenandoah residents rally against taxes
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By Sally Voth -- svoth@nvdaily.com
WOODSTOCK -- Fed up with what they see as spiraling spending and unfair real-estate reassessments, scores of residents flocked to downtown Woodstock Friday morning.
Standing outside the Shenandoah County Circuit Courthouse, they rallied against local government spending and the recently issued real estate reassessments.
A few demonstrators held signs. "Farmers can't pay high tax assessments," read one sign. Another said, "Give me liberty not debt."
Strasburg resident Phil Hunt organized the protest with the help of his daughter, Valerie, a student at Liberty University. He's concerned that so many residents' reassessments show their property values have drastically increased, and that the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors has committed to several costly capital projects, such as a regional jail and a new courthouse.
After the rally, he said he was surprised at how many people he was able to muster on such short notice.
Citizens for Honest Government's Fred Hughes addressed the crowd.
"The economy went down the tube, the land values went down the tube, [and] all of a sudden assessments went up," he said.
The supervisors will say the tax rate will be adjusted so people don't have to pay higher taxes, Hughes said, but how will they pay for the jail, renovate the old Safeway building and possibly build more schools without raising taxes?
"It's impossible," he said.
The county budget should be cut by 10 percent, said Richard Nau of Woodstock.
"This is becoming a government of the government, by the government and for the government," he said. "Sorry, I'm moving to Montana. I want nothing more to do with it."
Hunt responded, "I'm not moving, and I'm not running. I'm going to stay right here and I'm going to fight.
"If Wal-mart tripled all their prices down there, do you think everybody would go in there [and] continue to buy? No."
In a short interview, Woodstock resident Harry Kibler said he joined the demonstration for the same reason the others did -- "high taxes." His land reassessment went up almost as much as his home's.
"And, I can't do nothing with it," Kibler said, adding the lot is too small to build on. "Why would that go up so high, higher than my house? It's not right. Need to vote all the ones out that's in the board of supervisors and put new ones in. They've been there too long."
Standing nearby, Jerry Elbon said his assessment went up 100 percent.
"I think they're a bunch of crooks and a bunch of thieves, or whatever you want to call them," the Strasburg resident said. "They're not for the people of Shenandoah County. They're for themselves. They're not for business. It's pretty much same as the Ponzi scheme. They arrested him."
Patricia Doll didn't address the crowd, but did explain why she came out.
"I'm here because these jackasses have raised our taxes," she said. "It's ridiculous."
Doll's 89-year-old father lives with her in Fort Valley.
"He's a World War II veteran, and we can't afford to pay our taxes," she said. "My husband died last year. What am I supposed to do? I'm really angry."
Two Board of Supervisors hopefuls, Cindy Bailey, a write-in candidate for District 4, and District 5 challenger Mark Prince, were also at the meeting.
While Hunt and others spoke out, a steady stream of passing motorists honked their horns in support.
"Amen to that," one woman called out as she leaned on her horn.
One man pointed out none of the members of the Board of Supervisors were there.
"Next time, we meet, let's go down to the administration building," he said.
Hunt said he'd like "nothing better than to have another rally."
"What do you think?" he asked the crowd. "Should we have another rally?"
Hunt's question was met with cheers.
He said they all needed to meet outside the County Government Center prior to the Board of Supervisors' meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
"They need to walk the gauntlet," an audience member interjected.
The supervisors' public safety and code committee meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday, and supervisors often stay in the building between the two meetings.
Woodstock resident. Single mom of three. Own a home with a mortgage for more than it's worth. Now my tax assessment is more than my resent appraisal. Don't tell me this is right. Would happily move from this town I once loved but can't afford too. So your stuck with me. See you at the polls.
Was anyone there that knows anything about planning? No, according to the quotes. The Supervisors were not there, like thousands of others, because there is nothing upon us to protest.
My assessment didn't go up enough at 8%, which is basically nothing, since it was so low to begin with.
Well good for you. Maybe you'd like to pay the 22% mine went up. Maybe if the planners wanted to inform the citizens they could have shown up and explained why there was such an increase when every street you drive on in this county has houses that have been empty for months. I always thought demand drove prices up, not the need for revenue.
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