Cd'A: No fiscal cliff here

The City Council of Coeur d’Alene spends money like there is an unlimited supply. There is, and that unlimited supply is us, the City Taxpayer (all of us)! Our annual city budget establishes what it is Coeur d’Alene wants to spend and then applies a “tax rate” to our assessed property values and city services to fund the budget. As a result, you now have a forced “balanced budget” which is paid for by EVERY property owner in our illustrious city. If our federal government took this same type of “balanced budget” approach as our city, our effective federal income tax rates would be well above 50 percent and we would not be facing the fiscal cliff that is so prominent today.

Look back in your property tax records and you will see exactly what is happening. Every year we, as property owners in the city of Coeur d’Alene, are paying more in taxes regardless of the assessed value of our properties. Even though my assessed property values are down more than 35 percent, my total tax is still up year after year. The same is true for all property owners within the city, but feel free to look at your own records. Unlike our federal government, the property owners in Coeur d’Alene are paying for everything (including the avoidable excesses) based on the property value we own, or rent, and needs to be addressed and resolved. Fiscal responsibility doesn’t seem to be in the vocabulary of our City Council.

When you hear Councilman Woody McEvers state that spending $5 million additional dollars to make McEuen Park “more bitchin…” tells you the entire story and attitude of our City Council. Our City Council operates without regard to us, the taxpayer, and their complete lack of fiscal responsibility is going to tax the average property owner right out of the city. It has happened all over the country (Aspen, Sun Valley, Tahoe …) and we must make sure it doesn’t happen here. Is the development of a “destination downtown” going to help/benefit the majority of the property owners in Coeur d’Alene or just the few businesses and residents in the downtown area? Those that are benefiting the most will only be paying for a very small amount of the total bill. We, the total city taxpayer, will be paying a far more disproportionate share.

Pay attention taxpayers, as it is your money, your future, and the future of your children that is at stake. Don’t wait until it is too late and you have paid for a city that you can’t afford. Forewarned is fore armed. This isn’t the first time you have been forewarned, but you may not have many more chances to be fore armed. Before it is too late, educate yourself and speak up. We, the people, can’t afford the city that our City Council has on the drawing board. When the Educational Corridor and McEuen Park are completed, the total cost to us, the city taxpayer, will put us over the fiscal cliff.

JAMES E. DOTY

Coeur d’Alene