TAXES: Tale of two cities

It is well known that resident property taxes in Post Falls are more than double those in Hayden even though both generally provide the same services. One might conclude that Hayden is a more desirable place to live and buy a house and certainly more affordable.

In fact the average sales price of a house in Hayden increased 1 percent this year compared to last year and the number of houses sold increased 1 percent compared to last year. On the other hand the average sales price of a house in Post Falls declined 13 percent compared to last year and the number of houses sold declined 18 percent compared to last year. One could infer that the high property taxes in Post Falls are putting downward pressure on housing sales.

Perhaps the Post Falls mayor, city manager and council should examine the Hayden budget and determine what they are doing so well. Instead, the Post Falls budget threatens to continue its upward climb. The mayor and City Council are talking about a 1-3 percent increase in the budget which includes salary increases for city employees. Note that these leaders ran for election promising to hold the line on the budget. Hopefully, the property owners in Post Falls will correct this budget irresponsibility in the next election cycle.

DAVID SHAW

Post Falls home owner