Property Levy Grossly Unfair

The suggestion of the Board of Supervisors to add $110 to the property taxes of each and every homeowner is utterly half-witted. There are a number of reasons for this characterization, but rather than get too wordy, let me offer three.

First, the added tax is grossly indiscriminate. Some poor widow in Rio Vista with a two-bedroom house and outdoor plumbing will have to pay the same sum as Daddy Warbucks on the hill with his 18-room, 12-bath mansion. How’s that for unfair?

Secondly, fire and police protection are the two services taxpayers see as absolutely essential. What the vast majority of us want to see is a reduction in overstuffed salaries for small jobs, outrageous vacation perks, severance pay, wasteful automobile allowance programs that lack definition and have no measurable signs of success, and routine pay increases despite falling county revenue.

Thirdly, adding to our property taxes defeats the spirit and intent of Proposition 13. If the board has it in mind to tear up the rules, why not soak us all $5,000 a year in addition to our regular tax liability? This way they could spend ‘till hell freezes over and live happily ever after.

It is imperative for the board to cut at least 10% from the county administrative and program costs before thinking of additional taxes or the reduction of basic necessary services.

Perhaps at the next board session, the members should join hands and attempt to contact the living.

W. E. DUNKLE

Camarillo