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Chester County Press

Oxford mayor has it right!

01/15/2014 08:36PM ● By Acl

By Uncle Irvin


Oxford mayor Geoff Henry has vetoed the 2014 Tax Ordinance which would raise the highest municipal property tax from 11.5 to 12 mills.

By this action, Henry has proven he's a heck of a lot smarter than Borough Council. Along with the highest millage in Chester County levied by the OASD, the combined property taxes for borough taxpayers puts the borough at a distinct economic disadvantage to its surrounding townships, as well as all of southern Chester County. Does having the highest property tax induce investment by business or make the borough a desirable place to reside?

Uncle Irvin has long criticized the borough for overtaxing its businesses and residents, but before this, no elected official has had the guts to do anything about it. 

It does not take a genius to figure out that the borough simply cannot afford their present police department. Rather than cut back and deny response to calls at the high school, which is in East Nottingham, the borough fathers allow the East Nottingham supervisor and residents to laugh all the way to the bank with a very low township property tax rate. Likewise, neighboring Lower Oxford Township, which rakes in taxes from the new mall.

There is absolutely no leadership in Borough Council to threaten East Nottingham and Lower Oxford with no police response until those townships proportionately pay up.

Maybe mayor Henry can lead the borough out of fiscal insanity.


Note: Since this column was written, Oxford Borough Council overrode mayor Henry's veto unanimously. So now you know where the problem is – a worthless, spineless Borough Council.