Here’s something you don’t hear about everyday. It sure had me scratching my head. I found this while looking back over the whole County Budget voting at December’s County Leg meeting.

I try not to repeat GOP talking points, but it’s weird seeing them do something that goes against their “Lower Taxes” mantra. (Let’s not even get into the whole “Lower Taxes = Crappier Services” discussion.)

Anyway, the Inner Loop blog has a pretty good description of what happened. Don’t get all cross-eyed at the technical stuff, I’ll break it down for you:

…actual tax collections have been higher than budgeted since at least 1995.

[snip]

[Dem legislator Paul] Haney proposed separating out the revenue from back taxes as a separate revenue line, then using to it reduce the tax rate to $8.97 per $1,000, and pay for two small programs: a fund to help with indigent burials and a fund to televise the county legislature’s meetings.

Yep, you heard right. It was a proposal to actually REDUCE taxes, by properly accounting for revenue. Let me repeat that. It was a Dem proposal to REDUCE taxes. Of course the GOP legislators didn’t want to be on record voting against a tax cut, so they kind of freaked out and called a recess.

A friend of mine at the meeting was coming out of the bathroom at the same time as two of the GOP legislators. He said Maggie Brooks came up to them in a huff and growled “We’re caucusing!”

Off they went, and a few minutes later, they shot down the Dem proposal through a parliamentary trick:

The Republicans eventually managed to declare the proposal out of order (it amended a revenue estimate, they claimed, which county law doesn’t allow; Haney contended that it created a new revenue stream, but the GOP upheld their president’s ruling).

So the next time you see your GOP legislator, ask him/her why they didn’t support the Dem proposal for lowering county taxes. They’ll have their pat answer, but at least they’ll know you’re paying attention.