City of North Port New Tax Letter I received Yesterday

[blueherons]

While I completely understand your anger, I think your letter would have been much more compelling if you had left out the name calling and the bad analogies.

[Harbor Hopper]

If you're on well and septic, WHY are you paying for city water and sewer assessments?? That is not legal, and you should be reimbursed for all the years you've paid for this. Do you also have monthly water and sewer usage bills (kind of hard without having a water meter).
The only thing I can think of is that you are being assessed in advance for the public services that are being planned for your area in the next year or two. Charlotte Co tried doing that to my area several times now for sewer and each time we put together a large group of protesters. A) get the price down to a reasonable level, and B) we aren't pre-paying for this project, as we all know how well local gov't manages money! We'd end up pre-paying for 5 yrs, then when it came time for installation, the gov't would say the money was spent elsewhere (don't laugh, this actually DOES happen).

[StepHome941]

I think we are witnessing a new era for North Port with the results of the last election and the new city commission. With Dave Garofalo and Mike Truebert out and Cheryl Cook and Rhonda DiFranco in, all of those 4-1 votes are now 3-2 votes in favor of the people who live here. Linda Yates was "the 1" in those 4-1 votes and now she is the Mayor. The girls have taken over. Both of these ladies stopped by our house during the campaign and talked with us and said that if they win they would run the city responsibly and look at everything the city spends money on and to be responsible and not spend money on things we simply don't need (like the $100K plus landscaping job behind the gates of the new facility on Chamberlain, like the brick pavers, the park studies, and on and on). They also are highly critical of the city's economic development - North Port needs good, high paying jobs, not cheap discount retail stores paying low wages.
Changes are coming. The girls just voted to sell the city's share of Warm Mineral Springs. The county commissioners are up in arms over this and commissioners Jones and Bulcher both blew their head gaskets at the meeting when Cheryl Cook proposed it and Rhonda and Linda voted for it. Why should local government run Warm Mineral Springs? Change is coming. It will take a while to unwind the damages done by previous commissions but I believe in these gals and know that our best days are ahead of us!

[gettinoutofjersey]

Originally Posted by Fade2Black

This is a email I sent to City Commissioners this morning. I'm pissed and feel betrayed !!


Dear Elected Leader;

I live on one of you’re your cow trails you call a road here in North Port. I pay taxes for city water which I don’t have. I pay taxes for sewer which I don’t have. I received a letter yesterday telling me your going to raise my taxes and in addition may raise them for this assessment by up to 10% a year.

You also threatened that not paying may result in loss of title. This is the first I’ve heard of this new tax .. and yet you include those bullying remarks of losing my home ? Unbelievable and insulting.

I have an idea .. instead of raping your citizens .. why not just stop wasting taxpayer money? Are you ever going to be finished beautifying the area around your precious city hall ? All the concrete fake interlocking bricks ..all the unnecessary pretty little street lights? I have no street lights on my road. All the beautiful planters and plants ,trees, shrubs? Ponds , irrigation, Perhaps sell a few of the 60 police cars I always see parked in the police parking lot and everywhere around town …empty.

The value of my crap home on my crappy cow trail road has fallen from $211,000 to $92,000 . That’s 56% in case you can’t do the math. Yet my taxes haven’t gone down 56%.

You people are elected officials , and need to STOP all this needless spending around your pretty little town hall if you need extra $$ . Not by raising taxes so you can continue to beatify “ your” pretty little town hall area.

It’s hard enough for me to eke out a living these days without having to worry about higher taxes simply because my elected officials spend money like it’s free.

What irritates me most is the fact that you would have the audacity to threaten me losing my home in the first piece of correspondence in this matter. Also to note … interesting this was sent out AFTER the local vote. Seems a little bit sneaky or even dishonest to me.

Regards;
Voting Citizen


Anyone else recieve one of these letters ... and if you did ... what are your thoughts on this matter .

excellent letter. while i dont live there i can see your frustration with the overpowering government. tell them like it is. they got elected to serve you not the other way around.