The website Tax-rates.org stated that residents of Jefferson County pay one of the highest median property taxes in the United States.
The county commissioners have proposed a 36-cents-per-$1,000 increase in property valuations to fund affordable housing that will be on the Nov. 7 ballot but have not provided a plan that demonstrates a benefit to the taxpayer.
That is insulting to the taxpayer.
The commissioners are addressing just the symptom, not the real issue.
My view is our youths are not being provided adequate training to enable them to earn a livable wage.
Our society has forgotten that without a viable production-economy, we don’t have an economy.
We must produce products that can be sold.
Hence, we need to provide our youths with the marketable skills that produce viable products.
We need to train electronics technicians, welders, machinists, electricians, plumbers and mechanics.
If companies begin to investigate a community for a new facility, they look at the infrastructure.
They want to see good roads, adequate utilities, a secure environment and a trained workforce.
Our commissioners need to attract businesses to our county that produce marketable products.
The county needs an attractive economic culture that would provide a livable income for our youths.
The reality is, very few can be computer programmers or engineers.
The elders of a community should encourage and empower our young people to become productive contributors of society.
Only rental property owners stand to benefit from the proposed tax increase because they will get a future tax gain at the taxpayers’ expense.
Hal Henson,
Port Townsend