My guess, your once newly elected Mayor who's house was in foreclosure and now driving a Porsche has a new large bill he needs to pay!

I am totally discouraged. I voted for Billy Kithens, a conservative Republican, and Jason Floyd, another Conservative Republican to show that I, Jimmy Mack, a liberal democrat, was ready for some fiscal conservatism as it relates to Hinesville.

Billy lost, Jason won, yet the outcome was the same had I not split my ticket.

More taxes and an out of control gang of public officials. That is where we are folks. You are IN or your are OUT!

It's time for change in the big house (City Hall).

Hey we supported Billy Kitchens also Jimmy, as my husband was personal friends with Billy's daddy, Robert. After many years in business in Savannah my husband left and moved business to Hinesville because of the dumbing down of city hall complete with mayor's $800.00 dollar lunches at the Rib Hut on the tax payers credit card. After many years of growth in Hinesville under great mayors such as Carl Dykes, Buddy DeLoach, and others the uninformed entitlement voters that pay nothing into the system, did the exact same except it was not $800.00 lunches, except it was foreclosed house, the purchased of a Porsche, and the dumbing down of Hinesville.

Mayor Thomas has never been a part of the private sector.

He has served in the Army and worked for the Corp of Engineers I think.

We have many elected officials in local office who live off of the government and simply don't appear to understand that in order to spend money you have to make it.

I've been told that we even have a city council person in one of our municipalities who is on the dole and is receiving food stamps.

Amen to all of the above.

At least part of this tax increase is due to the hefty pay raise Thomas and company voted for themselves during their first term in office.

And I'm confident that the glamorous new city hall and it's increased staffing and maintenance budgets have also had much to do with this increase.

if you want to really see how hinesville tax dollars were wasted go thru the new city hall. most of it is empty. i went thru it 2 weeks ago, it was sickenen how elaborate it is.

@gacpl: you are exactly right. It is nauseating walking thru that gilded castle. And they once again want to RAISE our taxes even higher. All of this is making me and my wife intensely thinking of moving our long goodbye down to that one floor condo in Boca. Hurricanes and all.

They have built a few "taj mahals" to be sure. It's up to them to justify why it needs to be as elaborate as it is. They certainly haven't done that. I guess it's human nature - if you are a "good person" - to want to leave things in better shape after you're gone than when you got there. But when using OPM (other people's money), the bureaucrats aren't doing their legacies any lasting good when the people can see they built themselves gilded castles.

I think Ill go to the meeting with some of their budgets and talk to them about how they waste our tax dollars.

Example a 76,000 dollar sign, wait there's too many examples, but maybe we should all go talk to them, its how you change things.

Good for you Ice. If and it is a gigantic IF, somehow we could roll this anti-spending by local gov't into a MOVEMENT we might would have a chance at the polls. But, that is our problem: Voter Apathy. And those on the public gravy train KNOW THIS! In fact, considering the last public turnout was so low, that the public officials and their families, employees and their relatives were enough to egual or exceed the voters who turned out to vote for change. There are that many of them that are riding the local tax spending train.

They exploit the transient nature of the community to add to their coffers.

They also exploit the "one of us" mentality - in terms of residency, in social strata, and in the color of one's skin.

Boca HOA fees are reasonable. I think I am moving the long goodbye to that area.

We used to have a reserve unit from West Palm Beach do their annual training here, and I had a great former boss who lived down there. They loved it. I suppose the area is a bit more risky for hurricanes than here.