Bagwell wants tax hike

A first-year Walhalla city councilman wants to raise taxes. And T-Jay Bagwell is not afraid to say it. But his idea to for him to conduct separate meetings with taxpayers to explain how taxpayers would be affected and why the city needs more taxes ran into opposition during last night’s council meeting. Deek Biemann and Jennifer Woodward Crawford expressed discomfort with Bagwell’s meeting idea. They said they’d prefer an official public hearing, but Bagwell said he doesn’t want a scenario in which he has to not only convince taxpayers of the need, but face opposition from his fellow council members, some of whom see the need but believe the time is wrong. Councilman David Underwood says he can see both sides and recognizes that if the city is going to make improvements, it’ll need more money. The mayor and two other councilmen were absent from last night’s meeting. And Bagwell said he’ll think further about what he wants to do, as well as talk with Mayor Danny Edwards and others.