TAXES: Show up, speak out

Assessment notices have arrived. Now is the time to voice your thoughts, complaints and opinions at the budget hearing meetings.

Although the notices sent out on May 26 are conveniently “after” the North Idaho College hearings, this limits our complaints to letters. I for one cannot figure out why I am paying more than $300 a year for the college?

Please look at your notices and in the lower right-hand corner it will list the dates of the “Public Budget Hearing.” I never paid that much attention to those dates until my infuriated calls to the assessor, county treasurer and school districts last year because of a huge increase in taxes resulting in paying nearly $2,000 a year for schools alone resulted in their simple response: “Well, you can come to the budget hearings if you don’t like it, the dates are on your assessment notice.”

Seniors are literally being taxed, levied and bonded right out of home ownership. Our property values, our nest egg for retirement has increased as our economy is recovering which is great. This only means more money out of our limited retirement income goes directly to taxes, more money for schools that as a senior we should be exempt from, should we so choose. Many of you out there have the funds to continue to contribute half of your tax bill to the schools; many of us do not. Please let’s show a presence and let Kootenai County we are watching. See you there.

STEPHANIE GOSSARD

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