All the discussion about the unFAIR plan has continued to hurt my head. I believe this is Brooks/Minarik’s desired effect:

• Use nice-sounding names for bad policy (like Bush’s “Clean Skies” and “Healthy Forests” policies), which do the opposite of what they sound like. Similarly, the “FAIR” plan is unfair to schools, passes accountability from the county to the schools, and irresponsible since it trades short term gain for the county for the long-term health of our schools. It is innovative in that it manages to keep local GOP power bases whole, while singling out the schools.
• Make anything behind the pretty names and TV ads really, really complicated and boring. So that if my head hurts (and I’m weird for even wanting to understand all this), imagine how the average Monroe County resident must feel.

One of the ways that RT can benefit the local political discourse is by making local politics and policies understandable. We are proud to have created the maps showing clearly how the unFAIR plan would give everyone in Monroe County an effective tax increase.

For that same reason (and the fact that I’ve run out of Excedrin), we’ve created the following diagrams showing how the unFAIR plan really works. This is loosely based on some diagrams a reader sent in a while back. Reader hsrstud put on his hazmat gear, waded through the county budget (yikes!), and updated the diagram based on his analysis. Most of this is his work, I just prettied it up some.

RT is a community now, and it’s helping us get things done. I love how a bunch of hacks like us can get together and make something bigger than ourselves. Ok, enough with the touchy-feely stuff, let’s get to the diagram:

It shows pretty graphically how, in order for the unFAIR plan to work, the county has to steal from the schools. It’s stealing from the towns, too, but then they use special lucky magic “Intermunicipal Agreements” and tax rebates to make up the difference. (And the towns will also pass it on to you, the taxpayer, in a higher tax bill.) This is why the schools are being heavily targeted by the local GOP leadership and punditry.

More comments from hsrstud below.

All of the numbers are based off of Maggie’s 2008 operating budget. So everything should be correct.

2008 sales tax revenue numbers are based on estimates (Maggie’s admin provided in their budget).

All of the percentages have been rounded, since I had to calculate them myself. All of the numbers, with the exception of the “Before” suburban school sales tax number are exact.

Schools lose $20,000,000.

Towns (as a whole) lose $14,250,000 due to MCC chargebacks.

Residents receive a small decrease in the county property tax rate, but will have to make this up, plus $34,250,000 (sum of numbers above) in fees, school taxes, and town property taxes.