Dollars, Taxes: Why Ann Margolin Won't Be Voting for the City's Budget Today

Ann Margolin's picking up where her predecessor, Mitchell Rasansky, left off: She ain't voting for City Manager Mary Suhm's budget, which the council is discussing at this very moment for those with time to kill. The District 13 council rep hinted as much a month ago, when she wrote that...

By Robert Wilonsky

September 23, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Ann Margolin's picking up where her predecessor, Mitchell Rasansky, left off: She ain't voting for City Manager Mary Suhm's budget, which the council is discussing at this very moment for those with time to kill. The District 13 council rep hinted as much a month ago, when she wrote that she was opposed to Suhm's proposal to increase Dallas Water Utilities fees by 4.2 percent and up stormwater management fees by an average of $1.72.

"That is a tax disguised as a fee," she told the council moments ago. "We have to be honest about what we're doing. We're calling a tax a fee so we can say we're not raising taxes. A fee is something paid for by a specific user. ... If I park at Love Field and I pay for a parking spot, it's a fee. But this is something flowing through to every water user in Dallas ... so this is a tax disguised as a fee."

She said that she doesn't support doing this at a time when senior citizens on Social Security aren't getting cost-of-living increases and when "retailers are suffering."

"This is not the time to be increasing the cost of living or the cost of doing business in Dallas," she said. "So, for this reason, I cannot support the budget."

Update: In the end, Margolin was the only council member to vote against the budget.

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.