Letter: More to story on refuse fees

Dear Editor:

After attending a commissioners meeting a couple of weeks ago, I realized the commissioners were not telling the whole story on a proposal to raise your refuse taxes from $85 to $135 per year ' a raise of over 65 percent in this tax.

They stated the raise was needed to make budget. They blame the cost of fuel, maintenance and replacement of equipment as the reason for the increase. What they didn't tell me was that they bid on fuel, so they pay less per gallon than the public does. The big ticket item was the cost of two pieces of equipment.

They stated that a compactor cost $320,000 and a compactor truck cost $232,503. My question to them was that all these items, if added up, equals the total amount increased each year to our taxes. They stated that it would.

What they are not telling us is they do not buy a piece of equipment each year. So, we are paying $552,503 over and above each year they don't buy a piece of equipment. Where is that half a million dollars going? Is there a raise in the air for the commissioner in the next year or so? Just a question.

I do realize the cost of everything is going up and taxes may have to rise. But I don't think the commissioners stop to think that the everyday cost of living affects every person in the county. Some cannot afford paying out any more than they already are.

The commissioners voted to raise your taxes with no questions asked. No vote for the people and no so-called proposal.

I call this taking advantage of power and I don't believe that three people really represent the wants and needs of the entire county. It is an election year. Ask questions of our commissioners, make sure they are telling us the whole truth and the whole story.

Take $135 times the amount of taxable households ' you'll get your answer to why we will be over-taxed for our refuse usage.

Ron Masters

Libby