William Larry Rose Jr.

Rossville businessman William Larry Rose Jr. is one of three candidates vying for two Rossville council seats in the Nov. 5 election.

Rose said he is running for a council seat in keeping with a public outcry against tax increases in the city. A proposed property tax increase in September 2012 was quickly scraped, keeping a city administrative fee that now applies to all residents.

“We will just have to live within our current income and cut services accordingly,” Rose Jr. said. “I am confident that a sufficient number of voters agree with this position.”

He hopes to expand Rossville’s tax base to lessen dependency on ad valorem taxes, maintain the taxes at their present level and limit spending to within current incoming revenue levels, “just like everybody else” Rose said.

Rose plans to comb through the city’s budget seeking a change in priorities. “We can’t continue to try and satisfy everybody,” he said, planning to focus on citizen’s basic governmental needs and the desire to see further efforts to clean up Rossville.

“Sooner or later, our city re- serves will run out and we are going to have to deal with this all over again,” Rose said. “The solution is going to be harsh, and at the present time no one has come fourth with any new solutions, except raise taxes.”

He believes the tax base for the city has “eroded to a very dangerous level.”

If elected, Rose plans to introduce a resolution that the mayor and vice mayor meet with the Georgia Municipal Association. He also wants the mayor to give written suggestions, for council approval, on how the city can expand its tax base without raising ad valorem taxes.

He has lived his entire life in the city, which is named for Cherokee leader John Ross, well aware of the steeped history of the area, as his father, Larry Rose Sr., has served as caretaker of the John Ross House for decades.

Rose graduated from Rossville High School and has worked in the family business, at Rose Kawasaki for his entire career. He attends Brainerd Baptist Church. Those wishing to ask Rose about a campaign issue may do so by calling him at 423-902-1532.