To the Editor,
Is it just me, or are others just a tad irritated with the proposed property tax hike of 13 per cent and the coinciding hike in the town’s utility bill?
First we see our property values decreased with a reduction in tax assessment that on the surface was supposed to make one feel better; now this.
Seniors who have a reverse mortgage or life annuities based on their property assessment must just love it. The newcomers who had thought of moving to Port Alberni must also just love the friendly financial climate our town once again has—or has not, depending on which side of the coin you scratch—displayed.
It amazes me that while the signage welcoming us to town increases, while the weeds keep growing on our sidewalks, and while the once beautiful Clutesi Haven Marina now looks run down, we get to read how our city wants and needs more money. Which should then read we need people to stay and people to move here in order to have a healthy tax base.
So if Alberni’s beauty keeps being blighted, and our financial attractions eroded what then will be the magic bullet that keeps Port Alberni vibrant?
Not beauty, not money, hmm... Maybe it’s the brains that will show us the way? No, wait...
Who was it that thought up zoning a doggie walk next to the outdoor patio of a restaurant? Probably the same people who changed the zoning laws to allow a mortuary next to a drive-in restaurant? Or a tattoo parlour next to a deli? Is it just me who thinks eeww, gross?
So with the cost of inflation running at under two per cent, how is it that our city and its illustrious council want to raise property taxes by 13 per cent and our utilities bill by approximately 30 per cent? I wish I could just vote/give myself a raise to meet that, but alas, I am not a “politician”.
Ruth John,
Port Alberni