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Opinion Letters Letters and Comments for June 19, 2009
Letters and Comments for June 19, 2009
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Letters and Comments for June 19, 2009
Joseph proposes increases To the Editor: The citizens of Joseph, Wallowa County, are about to be given tax and utility rate increases. An additional 5.5 percent in property taxes are to be levied, and water/sewer bills are to go up 2 percent. Neither of these will result in any additional services or benefit to the taxpayers. They are both to pay for city employee salary and benefit increases. The sheriff’s contract is also to receive an extra $7,000, again with no additional services or benefit to the taxpayers. This amount is on top of last year’s $96,068 contracted amount. Joseph is the only community in the county which is going to be taxed twice, once through county taxes and again through city taxes. The county itself is holding steady on the amount it has budgeted for police services. The proposed budget is to be voted on Thursday, June 25. Joseph citizens are encouraged to attend this meeting at City Hall at 7 p.m. that day to voice concerns about these tax increases.
Joseph
To the Editor: It is rare when a legislator will put the common good above his career, but it does happen sometimes. Case and point: the honorable Greg Smith. Rep. Smith voted to put children, education and health and human services above his career. He voted yes on a tax package that will help stave off cuts to education and programs that help students when his fellow Republicans opted instead to allow these cuts to happen. Thank you, Greg! When you represented Baker County and I first invited you into my classroom, you didn’t hesitate to come and find out about my students and my programs. Your commitment to education has continued through the years. Thank you for doing the right thing even though your own party is making threats about running another candidate against you in the next primary. Thank you for making education a priority and for walking the talk of investing in Oregon’s future. I hope the rest of your party will follow suit.
Baker City |
