Sharon Boyd, Editor/Publisher

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Commissioners Fixed It!

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8/29/7  This is the way it's supposed to work.

All of you who called and e-mailed the County Commissioners demanding reinstatement of the $69K exemption for 65+ seniors are to be congratulated.  You helped the Commissioners undo a mistake.  The Commissioners are to be congratulated for admitting they had made an error and fixing it.

Dallas commissioners reinstate tax exemption for seniors
By KEVIN KRAUSE / The Dallas Morning News, August 28, 2007
    Dallas County Commissioners unanimously reinstated an exemption for seniors 65 years and older on Tuesday.
   The vote came two weeks after commissioners eliminated the exemption as part of a compromise that was hatched when passing a tax freeze for seniors.
   The exemption knocks $69,000 off the taxable value of a home before the tax rate is applied. It is one of the highest senior exemptions in the state.
   Now, homeowners who turn 65 next year will qualify for the senior exemption and the tax freeze. That means the county taxes they pay next year will be frozen at that amount for as long as they own the house.
... After the Aug. 14 vote killing the over-65 exemption, commissioners were inundated with e-mails and phone calls from angry seniors. ...

Commissioner Maurine Dickey has really caught the brunt of criticism about this fiasco, from DallasArena.com and others.  There's no doubt she was shocked at the enormity of the response to what the Commissioners did two weeks ago.  Commissioner Dickey could have dug in her heels like some politicians and continued down a wrong road, but she listened to her constituents.  That's a good thing. 

All five of the Commissioners voted to reinstate the $69K exemption.  That means the four commissioners who voted to do away with the exemption publicly changed their minds.  Don't know about you, but I'm impressed.

When was the last time you complained to a politician and got the positive response we have received from the Commissioners Court?

Let's all pat ourselves on the back.  Now, let's all thank the County Commissioners for having the integrity and courage to admit a mistake and fix it.  You can't really ask for more from any politician.

sb

                                        

    





                            

 

  Ward politics is the Devil's key to the soul of the city council.  It is how some council members got themselves in trouble in the past.  It is the bait that will get others in trouble in the future. 4/6/8