It's because of the ludicrous wage scale. The companies that will pay them what they're worth don't come here because there aren't enough qualified people. The few companies that have come here take advantage of the situation and pay much lower wages than they do at their locations out of state. When a local company does pay a scale that is in line with the national norm, they are swarmed with applicants. If you want to increase the tax base, then do something about the ridiculous wage scale here.
Higher wages mean more people able to buy homes, which means more property taxes.
Higher wages mean less of our talent drained away to greener pastures and more available here to attract quality employers who will provide more jobs that will provide more income, which will provide more sales, which will provide more taxes. Around and around it goes, but this wheel is never going to start spinning as long as you accept the minimum wage as the standard. In the Feb. 15 Caller-Times the City Council and city manager claim that they were short on money and that we as a city need to grow more to be able to get the revenue needed for the rising cost of running the city. They keep comparing us with other cities that have grown faster and have a good revenue base. This isn't Dallas or Houston.