We welcome letters to the Editor, a chance for members of the community to comment on issues of concern to them. All letters must be original, not duplications of letters addressed to public officials or written by others. The views and opinions expressed are those of the letter writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication, its publishers, Editor, or staff.
To the Editor:
Dear Voters:
You are being deceived by the County Board. A binding referendum will appear on the November ballot asking you to vote to increase taxes $5,000,000 a year to fund Pine Crest. The tax increase is twice the amount needed.
The County Board padded its referendum by including annual operating expenses of $800,000 that have been paid out of your taxes for many years without exceeding the property tax cap. Adding this expense to the referendum has you paying these expenses twice.
Also included in the referendum is $630,000 to pay the debt for the 2017 addition to Pine Crest. This annual debt payment has always been covered by Pine Crest’s revenues. The Board is asking you to pay taxes for a debt even though it’s covered by other revenue.
Pine Crest requires significant maintenance funds over the next 10 years. The County Board estimates that the cost can be met with an annual tax increase of $2,386,400. Therefore, the referendum should have been limited to $2,400,000.
Donald Dunphy, Merrill, Wis.
County Board Supervisor, District 7
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