Normally, we’d be devoting a lot more editorial attention to the vote on the Public Safety and Library levies, but other pressing community issues have prevailed.
We still deplore the situation Sweet Home is in, requiring a majority vote from residents to keep the Police Department afloat every five years. We won’t go into that here, but any solutions to this problem would be welcomed.
We aren’t excited about additional taxes, but services aren’t free. The bottom line is that if we want police officers on the street, we have to pay for them. Yes, the amount requested this time is an increase from what we approved in 2010, but it’s the first increase since 2007 and it is pertinent to note that the cost of living has risen 14 percent during that period.
The library, clearly, is not as essential to our daily well-being as police protection, but it also is a valued component of our community and it is not free. We have three options: pay for it through subscriptions, pay for it through the levy that we are currently paying (with a 23 percent increase), or not have a library.
There is no question that the library contributes substantial value (which still cannot be duplicated on the Internet) with the services it provides to residents who like to read, who don’t have access to computers or the Internet, with educational programs like Poe storyteller Christopher Leebrick’s performance at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct.22, at the library, and certainly with the summer reading programs that help keep local youngsters occupied and contribute to family unity and, hopefully, educational advancement.
Another important thing to remember here is that for most of us, this won’t change what we pay in taxes.
Most properties in Sweet Home are in what’s called property tax “compression,” which means they are already paying the maximum property tax, $10 per $1,000 of real market valuation.
When real market property value increases, the total tax bill increases, regardless of whether the tax is $7 per $1,000 or $50 per $1,000.
Finance Director Pat Gray describes compression as a pie. Each taxing agency receives a portion of the pie. Sweet Home’s piece for law enforcement has been shrinking as others increase their rates. This corrects that and helps restore Sweet Home’s share.
There is another effect that’s not so great for taxpayers, but it can be adjusted after the fact if the problem grows too rampant. The higher a tax gets, the more years a property will remain in compression and the more years a property can count on an increasing property tax bill.
Are you for or against these levies?
The important thing is that you, as a Sweet Home resident, vote.
Nov. 3 is your deadline.