Editor’s note: This letter appeared in the July 24 print edition of  The Call, though one of the lines was partially cut off. The seventh paragraph, which is correct below, should have have read: “Here’s an eye-opening example. The average Green Park resident pays about $2,882 in real estate tax. The Suntrup family pays nearly $400,000 in real estate tax on its Green Park car dealerships. And there are many more examples like this one.”

To the editor:

Did former Mayor Tim Thuston (who recently resigned) provide false information to the Board of Aldermen in order to get a 1% real estate and personal property tax increase on last April’s ballot, and did he purposely withhold this information from the business community?

When you read the minutes of that meeting, it certainly appears so! 

The mayor stated, “The reason for this tax is the amount of money that we’re spending on our commercial streets, where we receive absolutely no revenue from our commercial partners. We’re paying for their streets and we’re getting nothing in return.”

When you review the city’s finances and budget, nothing could be further from the truth, and the mayor had to know that. If the city was hurting for money, then why did the mayor support a $30,000 expenditure for this year’s 30th anniversary party?

This new tax burden was put on the ballot without any notice, discussion or input from the business community or the affected property owners. That says a lot, doesn’t it?

Any sentiment that the business community is not paying “its fair share” or wants a “free ride” is completely unfounded. The financial facts prove that the commercial sector pays the lion’s share of revenue to the city and provides the much-needed jobs, products and services to the community.

Here’s an eye-opening example. The average Green Park resident pays about $2,882 in real estate tax. The Suntrup family pays nearly $400,000 in real estate tax on its Green Park car dealerships. And there are many more examples like this one.

When Green Park was first incorporated, it was the business community that recommended, supported and helped pass a Capital Improvement sales tax, so that the city would have a reliable revenue source. That tax has served the city well. This steady revenue has resulted in the replacement of nearly every street in the city, free residential trash service, the purchase of the city hall building and a ballooning reserve fund of more than $4,000,000 (more than two full years of operating revenue).

The city’s CPA stated that Green Park’s financial position is ranked in the top 5% of all cities. All of the city’s needs can be met with the current income and reserve fund without a tax increase, and that fact is obvious to anyone who reads the 2025 budget!  

The economy took a big hit during COVID and has struggled with runaway inflation for the past four years, and now the uncertainty of tariffs. More tax is not the answer to a vibrant economy and successful city.

Remember, all taxes at all levels (city, county, state and federal) eventually make their way to the consumer. You and I, the taxpayers, will always end up paying for these increases in taxes!

Jim Smoot

Green Park 

Editor’s note: Jim Smoot served as the president of the Green Park Chamber of Commerce