City of Vernon Taxes

When will this ever slow down? reads the heading.

Obviously a rhetorical question, posed by yet another resident in a Letter to the Editor.

Garry Haas is another in a long string of residents opposed to tax hikes.

Salient points of his long letter, printed in Vernon's Morning Star on February 27, 2013, follow:

"Well, here we go again, it seems.  At first it was 1.8 per cent, now it is 3.95 per cent.  Mr. Mayor and council, please make your mind up and listen to the public.  We do not want any tax increase.

"Take a look at all of the vacant buildings and stores and think about all of the jobs lost"  G.Haas

The assessed value of our property decreased by $20,000 but the mayor says my taxes will increase by $53.  That's bad accounting.  Because the value dropped, the taxes should decrease.  So, I will actually have an increase of around $80 to $100.  This is like the old shell game.

...When will this ever end?  When the city is bankrupt and has no more residents?  I ask the mayor to please tell us what the monetary increase for inside and outside union members will be this year, and how much the benefits will cost us extra this year, and the same for non-union members.

My wife will get .01 this year, maybe.  Believe me, if you take the time to look closely at the budget you will see how our money is being misused. 

Business(sic) are closing in this town.  Take a look at all of the vacant buildings and stores and think about all of the jobs lost and the council still believes that things are not that bad.

Well, there are house prices dropping, full-time jobs disappearing and young families and children leaving.
The demographics of Vernon are not what the mayor and council want us to believe.  We are an aging city and it does not show any signs of slowing down."  Garry Haas 

"It's Mayor(s) and Council(s) that need to slow down," offers Kia.

Thanks to Garry Haas for his compelling letter to the Mayor.

Yet one more that'll be labelled "Ignore".