By Chad Lampe
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-900090.mp3
Murray, KY – Bill Wells is a long time Murray Resident, "Murray Kentucky is a great place to live and I want to make it an even better place," Wells said at the forum Tuesday. Wells is a former high school principal, member of various community organizations and organizer of Murray's community wide recycling program, "Make a Difference Day."
Butch Seargent is another long time Murray resident. Seargent said at the forum, "I hope that you will truly consider what is on the line here. If you do I feel confident you will have to vote for me, Butch Seargent, the man for this job." He is also a third term councilmen. He has spent time as Mayfield's city planner and he runs a private surveying company. Seargent is a senior elder with the Murray Family Church. The third man in the race is first term council member Greg Anderson. Anderson is in his twenties and is the vice-president of the Murray Lions Club. Anderson closed his comments at the forum by saying "Our next make a difference day is May the 18th, and on May the 18th I ask you to make big difference and go and vote for me."
Anderson was taking a jab at opponent Bill Wells with his closing statement. Wells, Murray's citizen of the year, typically ends most of his public comments reminding everyone of the city's next Make a Difference Day. So, in his closing comments Wells jabbed back. "On May of 1990 when the City Council voted on a payroll tax and I voted against it. That was 1990, I don't expect Mr. Anderson to remember that because at the time he was four," Wells said.
Those were the only blatant blows in this forum, but on the issues the candidates answered various questions many of which about city finances.
The city's current financial issues include a projected shortfall, according to city finance administrators, of upwards of $1.1 million in the next fiscal year. Council members have discussed the budget at length but these three men differ on their interpretation of the problem and how to move the city forward.
"I think a crisis was created with help from the Kentucky League of Cities. My plan does not include raising taxes. When you look at the city of Murray we are 70% higher on that state average of property tax and 20% than the state average of insurance tax. We can't go much higher and continue to be viable. It's time we get by by doing just what you are having to do with your businesses and in your personal lives," Anderson said.
Bill Wells continued along similar lines as Anderson suggesting the city find better ways to seek revenue without imposing more taxes. "I think annexation could be part of the key to our financial situation, and enforcing the rules we do have. I think the vehicle tax, city sticker, will be enforced more. I think, another thing I've heard, we probably won't do it this year but maybe in the future that if you miss the deadline for getting the sticker on your car, that fine doubles," Wells said.
Butch Seargent was less quick to make such predictions. "Are we in a dangerously bad fiscal condition? I say absolutely not. We have a shortfall of money, whether its $1 Million dollars or it $200,000, I think we've all questioned that and how did we get here so rapidly. We haven't reached a point, I feel like, where we've finished a total investigation of city government to know just exactly what we are going to do in the future. So I can't stand here today and tell you "this is what I'm going to do" because I'm going to have all the facts in front of me before I make any decision," Seargent said.
Whether explicitly or not the candidates never suggested the city implement a payroll tax. A city-wide payroll tax was the subject of a Chamber of Commerce Survey that received an overwhelming majority of responses against the idea. The candidates differed a bit on cuts to city staff and benefits, but they all agreed city police and fire are priorities for funding and staffing. Crowd response to the debate was mixed for respective candidates. The primary will narrow the field from three to two. Kentucky's Primary is May 18th.