WAVE 3 has a story on a subject I touched on a while ago. It seems, as predicted, charities are having a tough time coming up with the money to pay the Mayor's new tax for security, a tax city officials call "police fees". Read the report HERE.
Here's a snippet:
According to LMPD officials contacted by WAVE 3, the demand for event security increased at a time when department resources did not. Of the 107 LMPD-assisted events in 2007, 61 were walks or runs. Officials say the volume left the department paying more overtime to meet the demand.
"We simply from a fiscal standpoint could not put those officers on those events without jeopardizing public safety," said Sergeant Robert Biven.
According to this statement, Sgt. Biven is saying it is ok to "jeopardize public safety", as long as someone is paying for it. Nice.
I still feel this is the wrong way to do things, because once the city starts charging fees, they never stop. And you can expect more fees, like for calling the fire department. Don't laugh. It could happen, and essentially, you will be double-taxed for public safety services.
It is worth noting that the Kentucky Derby Festival, the biggest "consumer" of free police protection, is exempt from paying the fees. So are things like "Light Up Louisville".
The other alternatives are to cancel the event or go somewhere else. Neither is good for the city. The ACLU filed a lawsuit in New Jersey in 2007 over police fees. The city wanted $1500 to allow a group to protest. The ACLU won the suit.
By continuing down this road, the mayor is putting the city at risk for lawsuits and the loss of community charitable events. Stop this idiocy now.
I believe that this current mayor needs to step down either this year or next year. Either way, the community will be better off without his rancid and less than exemplary leadership. This community deserves better and I also believe that there needs to be a full audit of city finances by both the state government as well as the IRS and federal authorities.
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