HAYDEN: Tax meeting alert

Next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., the city of Hayden is holding a town hall meeting to present their case to the voters for doubling the city’s property tax collection. They claim they want to increase the contract with the sheriff’s department by doubling the number of officers contractually assigned to cover the city of Hayden, and they want to increase the funding for road chip sealing and replacement from $350,000 a year to $980,000 a year.

Voters will need to ask themselves if they feel there is a crime or response issue that justifies doubling the police presence, and lastly, if the current council can be trusted not to divert the money elsewhere once they get it.

Personally, I don’t feel that the City Council has earned this trust in the least. Over the last years, they have found that they lost a massive decision in the Supreme Court for wrongfully collecting millions of dollars in sewer fees. It is my belief that only the mayor and a single city councilmember has even taken the time to read the decision. All that the rest of them seem to know is that the city is likely going to be hit with a huge judgment if the court rules against them again on their latest motion. And this, unfortunately, is what happens when you elect people to office who don’t have the ability or desire to actually understand the issues they make decisions on.

Do I trust this council with a blank check tax increase that could be diverted to pay for their botched fees? Nope. I trust this council as far as I can throw them. And today my back hurts.

LARRY SPENCER

Executive Director

Idaho Property Owners Association