The two Republicans running for Westmoreland County commissioner want to give taxpayers a say in raising property taxes, although they are not sure a referendum is legal under state law or the state Constitution.
Kim Ward and George Dunbar proposed Friday a nonbinding tax referendum as a preliminary step. They pledged if elected to work toward passing a state law that would make such referendums binding.
Their Democratic opponents labeled the proposal a political stunt and grandstanding in the lead up to the Nov. 6 general election.
Incumbents Tom Balya and Tom Ceraso said asking taxpayers to decide the level of taxation in the county would amount to a "cop out" by officials elected to make tough choices.
In separate interviews, Balya and Ceraso made clear their disdain for the proposal.
"Anything that is nonbinding is a poll," Ceraso said.
Balya said, "What's the purpose? No one wants to raise taxes."
In a joint news release, Ward and Dunbar said, "We believe taxpayers should have input on whether their taxes are raised.
"While the county has a responsibility to keep the citizens safe and is required to pay for unfunded mandates and essential services, it also has a responsibility to keep spending at or below inflation, which has not been the case" with the current board of commissioners, the two charged.
Ward said in a telephone interview yesterday that the referendum proposal represented a "new idea" for county government. "There hasn't been a new idea in county government for the past seven years," she charged.
Before bringing a property tax increase proposal to taxpayers for a yes or no vote, the commissioners would be required to do "their due diligence to maximize cuts in spending and (to) purchase goods and services efficiently," the Republican challengers said.
"Those who oppose a referendum under the guise of 'leadership' do so because they don't trust the taxpayers to make intelligent decisions about their own hard-earned money," Ward said.
How a referendum might work was not immediately clear. Ward admitted she had not been able to pin down an answer as to whether a binding county tax referendum was possible under state laws as they are now written.
"I called a couple of different places, and I couldn't get a definitive answer," she said. "I think we need to have legislation. We could begin the process."
She was somewhat uncertain about a nonbinding vote as well.
Two Harrisburg insiders contacted by the Tribune-Review were equally mystified.
Lowman Henry, of the Harrisburg-based Lincoln Institute, said a binding vote was out of the question without changing election laws. He said he thought Ward and Dunbar might need state legislative action to conduct a nonbinding vote, although he was not entirely certain.
Legal or not, Henry called the referendum proposal "a good idea."
Barry Kauffman, of Pennsylvania Common Cause, said, "I'm not sure that's something anyone has the authority to do."
Kauffman said "as a general rule" referendums are not a good idea because they bypass elected officials who should be held accountable.
At the same time, Kauffman said the type of referendum Ward and Dunbar have in mind should not be automatic any time a tax increase is on the table. He said referendums should start with voters and work their way up. Kauffman noted there is a state Senate bill that would make state referendums possible, starting with voter petitions.
Ceraso said Dunbar and Ward were engaged in "an election-year stunt."
Balya likened the idea to "putting your finger to the wind."
"No one makes a decision to increase taxes lightly. You do it only when it's absolutely essential. (Ward and Dunbar) want to play to the audience," Balya said.
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