Lee Dunlap Campaign Answers - Affirmation of Endorsement & Taxes Analyses / Comparison

Lee Dunlap Campaign Answers

Because of my previous endorsement, a number of people asked me to request Lee Dunlap (http://www.leedunlap.com/) to respond to the same questions answered by Phil Dyer last week. Lee graciously took the time to answer those questions and his responses are inserted below. His answers demonstrate that he is a true compassionate conservative who balances fiscal responsibility with concerns for people.

Affirmation of Endorsement

Therefore, Lee Dunlap continues to be my choice for Plano City Council Place 8. He has a vision for continuously improving Plano, brings up ways to improve our fiscal situation without cutting anything by collecting fees from other entities requiring Plano's expertise, and supports posting the Plano City Check Register online. A good opportunity to visit with Lee and other Plano Candidates is this coming Thursday, April 9 – 7:15 pm Plano Homeowners Council (http://phcplanotx.com/) at Reflections on Spring Creek.

Taxes Analyses / Comparison

Comparing Property Taxes to Sales Taxes is something I have taken on because many people tell me it is generally believed that property taxes are progressive (higher income people pay a higher percentage of their income) and sales taxes are regressive (lower income people pay a higher percentage of their income).

My research shows that in Texas property taxes are very regressive with family incomes lower than $35k per year paying almost 3% of their income in school taxes alone but family incomes over $35k on average pay 1.6% of their income. Additionally, Texas state sales taxes are not collected on unprepared food estimated to be about $500 per month for $28k income families, or rent estimated to be $725 per month for $28k income families, which leaves about $1,108 per month for a family making $28k per year (these were the same numbers I used for the property tax analysis). Assuming the entire available amount ($1,108) is taxed at 8.5% then the monthly cost is $94 which is 4% of their income. Using the same approach for a family with $84k per year, mortgage payment of $1,329, and the same $500 per month of unprepared food; then the amount is 6.3%.

These analyses for Texas make some reasonable assumptions based on Census, Tax, and other databases available through the internet. A summary chart is inserted below just above Lee's answers. I would enjoy discussing this topic with anyone or any organization holding to different conclusions.

David Lee Hall
http://www.texas-ideas-progress.blogspot.com/

... TAX ...... YEARLY INCOME . CHARACTERISTICS ...
.. TYPE ........... $28k ... $84k ..... Impact ... Application ... Enforcement .
School Property... 3.0% ..... 1.6% ... Regressive ... Complicated ...... Subjective ...
Sales @ 8.5%........ 4.0% ..... 6.3% .. Progressive ..... Simple ............. Objective ...



Responses in bold below are provided by Lee Dunlap candidate for re-election to Plano City Council Place 8.

1. Will you vote to post the check register online including date, number, payee, amount, and option to view the check stub (list of line items being paid by the check)?

I certainly support open and transparent government. Technology can and does enhance the options available for ready accessibility to information and can be used to help the public "hear", or in this case see, the facts.

2. Do you favor replacing some of our property taxes with sales taxes (City) and PISD do you favor replacing some of property taxes with a statewide sales tax to be allocated based on the number of students? -- i.e. if elected will you personally lobby Austin to help make those changes?

I am assuming that the idea is to find a way to transfer more of the tax burden to those with more disposable income. If so, I find this to be an interesting subject for further discussion.

3. Do you think that it is acceptable to continue running a deficit?

The city does not and cannot run a deficit.

4. Assuming NO to 3 above then are you in favor of increasing taxes, cutting costs, and then which of each.

The council is in the process right now of evaluating cost cutting options from top to bottom. There will be programs and services that will be eliminated while others will be delayed or reduced in scope. There is never a good time to raise taxes and now is certainly one the worst. Therefore, I remain focused on finding improved efficiencies, eliminating out dated programs, and generally "tightening belts."

5. Are you in favor of more, less, or the same amount of outsourcing?

I have often asked and continue to ask the city staff to investigate the possibility of outsourcing programs and services. We have generally found that outsourcing makes the city services less satisfying and eventually more expensive. In fact, our city has been providing services to other cities as they have outsourced to Plano some of the services they would be providing.

6. Assuming you are in favor of outsourcing then what are good options?
City - Engineering, Planning, Inspections, Legal, Security, Parks, Recreation Centers, Pest Control, Information Systems, Others?

These are all good suggestions as some of these departments are already outsourcing regularly or when they have projects requiring unique expertise. Interestingly, you have also listed some of the city departments being used by other municipalities as their outsource service provider.

School - Management of Selected Campuses, Varsity Athletics, Facilities, Planning, Transportation, Information Systems, Others?

7. Are you in favor of curfews during certain hours of the day and/or night for unaccompanied minors?

I am always willing to listen to concerns brought to us by the residents, businesses, and guests of Plano.


I welcome any further questions or discussion on any of the above topics. Thanks to all who take the time to read these questions and responses.

Lee Dunlap
Candidate for Re-Election
Plano City Council Place 8
972-758-9290