Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

Let’s pull at the heart strings here and I speak of our seniors, children and animals and lowering the sales tax. Again there is no reason to cut one thing. Boy they must want your over charged taxes bad by hitting below the belt.

One our children’s education: Explained to me how our borough government can approve $100,000.00 reimbursement for moving expenses with no receipts, not budgeted for and when it was presented didn’t even know which fund of our governments monies this would come from? In the same breath our government the stewards of our money threaten that they will have to cut our children’s education to keep their greedy city sales tax. Now just take a moment and think about that one, just how desperate, logical and responsible is that?

Our seniors: Yes folks our moms and dads. Our seniors think that they will lose their funding and have to cut hours of the very people they love that serve them and their senior meals. Are you kidding me these are our moms and dads the ones that raised us and wiped our fannies. The Borough owes our seniors and the people that serve them an apology for even considering this cut. This one makes me so mad I could spit nails. Shame on you Borough Government.

Animals and let’s just put it as it is our Delores: Bless her heart for what she does that our Borough was not doing in taking care of our animals that others don’t. This used to be a paid position within the City and is a legitimate position and should be treated and paid as such and this should be coming from the enterprise fund and not tax monies.

According to the borough budget they don’t have to cut one loved service bottom line period. Simply put if our government can afford to give $25,000.00 of our tax monies to a business, $100,000.00 to another for moving expenses with no receipts, $500,000.00 for the oops we all know about, stagnate Wrangell’s economic development for our community by having the highest sales tax and property tax....

Maybe we should re-think what the ones in charge are doing. Other governments all over the world live on less tax monies and manage to fund the city loved services they threaten to cut.

Not one loved service needs to be cut. Vote yes to lower the sales tax.

Rhonda Christian

To The Editor:

There’s lot of misinformation flying around town and being published in this paper in the form of “Letters to the Editor” concerning the proposed sales tax cut on the ballot for our upcoming election. In the last issue a writer that supports the tax cut focused on the Chamber of Commerce and the fact that they receive $25,000.00 per year from the city and they felt that this was wrong. I don’t understand this, since the Chamber supports downtown businesses and provides the organizational skills that make our 4th of July celebration and Derby wonderful. These benefit all of us in terms of bringing money into town and giving all of us wholesome family fun.

It was said that the money the Chamber receives was supposed to be a one-time assistance request to help the Chamber during a time when they were having problems making ends meet. This simply is not true. The Chamber has organized and managed our major events each year for quite some time. The Chamber only receives about $10,000.00 yearly from its membership dues. To offset the cost of overseeing these events, the city agreed to pay the Chamber the $25,000.00 each year.

The Chamber is now running efficiently and making significant improvements. This year it has made some major infrastructure changes which include new member management software, a new office and a published membership map. All of this has helped to reduce their operating costs, increase efficiency as well as promote member businesses in Wrangell.

Without rehashing points that have already been made, I can tell you that the budget cuts are not a threat by those who would rather see the tax reduction defeated. These are cuts that have already been voted on by your assembly and they will take place should the tax cut go into effect.

Time and time again I have heard that the City and Borough of Wrangell has the highest sales tax rate in the state. While this may be true, it is like comparing apples to oranges. What you are not being told is that many of these other communities that have lower sales tax rates, also have other taxes that we do not such as a wheel tax, severances taxes, fuel transfer taxes, etc. They also have higher property taxes than we do. Is it really fair to make property owners bear the brunt of taxes?

The bottom line is that the services and benefits we expect are not free. It costs money to pave roads, hold 4th of July celebrations, support schools, etc. I love this community as it is and desire for it to continue to be a wonderful place for us to enjoy being a part of. I urge you to vote “No” on proposition #1 to reduce the sales tax to 5.5%.

Daniel Blake

To the Editor:

I have received a little heck and a lot of support this last week on the letter I previously submitted in regards to the Chamber and our tax monies. I’m glad you are paying attention so let me be clear.

There is no reason to even cut one service item that our Wrangell town loves that is being threatened. I would like to share a few items that have been brought to me as concerns for our community and the Tax Initiate.

One the Chamber: The Chamber should be supported by its business members not tax monies and by doing so the Chamber is taking away from other services in our town that could use additional funding. Shame on them. It is just wrong for government to give tax free monies to our Chamber and by doing so it influences how they make decisions. By the way those that came to me with their support of the Chamber and its $25,000.00 tax monies, not even one of them were a Chamber member.

Two Property Tax: This has been going up almost every year so I suppose if you want to pay the 7% sales tax and also pay your inflated property tax that is your choice, it doesn’t make much sense but again this is your choice. When we became a Borough the limit on “Property Tax” was removed, so without a limit it can and will continue to go up. I have hopes to bring this issue to the people in the near future, I’m surprised no one has yet.

Three Economic Development: If you were looking to set up a business and/or purchase a home why would you consider Wrangell with the highest property and sales tax? I really don’t understand why this town would even consider supporting the highest taxes in Southeast Alaska for this town is always talking about economic development.

Four the “Hospital”: How is this going to be paid for? I will just say this if you really want the new hospital then you will vote yes to lower the sales tax. By lowering the sale tax our government will have a way for the new hospital to be paid for and once it is paid for the “sales tax” will/should be removed. We all use the hospital and so we all should pay for the new hospital that we will all use!

Not one loved service needs to be cut. Vote yes to lower the sales tax.

Rhonda Christian

To the Editor:

Proposition 1, which would reduce Wrangell’s sales tax from 7% to 5.5%, comes before voters October 1. This proposition is a recipe for disaster for our community. Everyone prefers lower taxes, but the costs associated with a sales tax reduction would so negatively affect our community that the benefit of saving $1.50 on a $100 purchase is simply not worth the savings.

The reduction of nearly $200,000 in school contribution alone should be enough for all of us to realize that this is a bad idea. Shifting the financial burden from all who pay sales taxes to the property owners of Wrangell makes no sense to me. With property taxes already scheduled to go up if Proposition 1 passes, it signals an ever increasing burden on property owners. Do you rent, but do not own property? Your monthly rental rates will likely increase as property taxes rise.

With cuts to so many departments, programs and organizations totaling $425,000 and the elimination of our twice-yearly Tax-Free-Days, everyone will be affected by the already approved reduction to the Borough’s Budget.

Who will run our July 4th celebration and the Annual King Salmon Derby if the Chamber of Commerce doesn’t survive? The Health Fair, Senior Citizen Program, Public Radio and Fireworks Show are just a few of nearly a dozen programs scheduled for elimination of funding.

All of these reductions just to save $1.50 on a $100 purchase? This is hardly worth it in my view. Please join me is voting no on Proposition 1. Whatever your position is, I urge all registered voters to show up on Election Day and exercise your right to vote. We also have many fine candidates running for various public offices.

Jeff Angerman