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Speakers rail against tax hikes

An overwhelming number of residents who spoke at last Thursday night’s hearing on Gloucester’s proposed $109 million fiscal year 2012-13 budget were not in favor of any tax increase and said the county leaders could find ways to cut the budget without imposing an additional burden on taxpayers.

Sixteen different people spoke at last week’s public hearing that was held in the Gloucester High School auditorium.

As proposed, the budget calls for a 17.24-percent increase in real estate taxes and an 11.54-percent hike in personal property assessments. The proposal amounts to a 10-cent increase per $100 of assessed value on the real estate and a 30-cent increase per $100 on the personal property levy.

The first resident to speak during the hearing was York district resident C.W. Davis. He said he knew the tax rate increase was a "done deal" to keep operations going in the county. However, he said what really worries him is that too much is falling on the b...

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