Today's Letters: Let's look beyond 'political speak'

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published August 23, 2007

Re: Plain facts about property taxes and the budget Aug. 20, guest column

In response to Hernando County Administrator Gary Kuhl's guest column, I find it necessary to focus the attention of our residents on the real issue at hand, that being the artificially inflated assessments due to the rapid development in the county.

With all due respect, Mr. Kuhl tries, in the best "political speak," to convince us our taxes will be very close to that which we paid in 1987. His well-prepared numbers may very well be nearly factual, but bear no resemblance to the pertinent dollar numbers to be compared. That is the growth in the budget in terms of real dollars and the resulting runaway spending that took place due to all that revenue increase.

When assessments are almost doubled and increase the taxes collected, even at the 1987 millage rate, your taxes also are doubled. And then consider the added revenue produced by the increased all-important impact fees on the new development. Surely, the population grew and the infrastructure was expanded, but other areas of local government were suddenly well-endowed with plenty cash from the tax well.

We are told that the people demanded added and new services and were so accommodated. Well, I did not hear that voice of the people as loudly then as I now hear that bold voice calling all the way to the state Capitol for value equalization. Double assessments call for halving the tax rate to be equal and produce the same dollars to the county. The extraordinary population growth in the county should produce more income and therefore support a reasonably controlled expansion of services.

If Mr. Kuhl really wants to present factual responses, let him address the subject in terms of real dollars and cash flow, not percentages and millage rates that only tend to obscure and confuse the issue, unless that was what was intended.

Wm. R. Marques, Spring Hill

As road fund shrinks, need for gas tax grows Aug. 19 editorial

Stop supporting increased taxes

You are hyping for an increase in gasoline taxes in Hernando County. You ask us to consider that there are more roads now. True. There also are more cars on Hernando County roads buying and using more gas than in 1999.

According to Florida's Division of Motor Vehicles Web site, there were 28,918 vehicles registered in Hernando County in 1999. In 2006, the latest year available, there were 38,367, a 33 percent increase. I am sure that for 2007 that number has grown. This gives the county a stream of ever-increasing revenue for street repaving. They should be able to live within that stream of revenue for years without raising gas taxes now.

It seems as though raising taxes is an obsession with our county government. They don't need your support.

Ross Keith, Hernando Beach

Ode to a new school year

My youngest son drove me nuts during our vacation because he was upset about school starting again, as it does every year. So, rather than continue discussing why he must attend, I wrote a short poem:

School is starting and all through the house

No one wanted it! Not even the mouse!

Education is lame! So says the fool.

Lame or not, we all must endure, the suffering and pain that is best known as school.

Why must great learning also come with great pain?

Well, as the old saying goes, "No pain is no gain."

So suffer with wailing, all of you fools!

For never shall we see the end of our schools!

Joe Castillo, Brooksville

[Last modified August 22, 2007, 21:00:04]