I won’t raise my property taxes for libraries Kitsap doesn’t need

Your April 2 article, “Library system considering levy increase,” warrants some comments and some questions. Jeff Brody, community relations director of the Kitsap Regional Library, states a goal of either 10 cents or 12.5 cents per $1,000 in property taxes on top of the 32 cent library tax we’re already assessed.

Your April 2 article, “Library system considering levy increase,” warrants some comments and some questions.

Jeff Brody, community relations director of the Kitsap Regional Library, states a goal of either 10 cents or 12.5 cents per $1,000 in property taxes on top of the 32 cent library tax we’re already assessed.

Additionally, he states that the max tax under state law is 50 cents per $1,000.

These amounts would raise your present $2,500-plus tax bill for a $250,000 home that has been de-valued by the county to $200,000 but still allows you to pay the higher tax at the $250,000 value.

What does this mean? Well, as Brody says, the present library tax is only $79.90 per year, and at 12.5 cents, that added cost would only be $31.25, for a total of $111.15 per year taxes on a home that has lost $50,000 dollars or more in value.

Brody wants money, but doesn’t cite any numbers illustrating what the yearly income of the libraries countywide is.

Why does KRL want $17.5 million for operations like increasing hours, opening an additional day, increase spending on materials, homework help for students (teacher/parent function), increasing staff at the new Silverdale and Kingston libraries (and the funds to build these two new libraries came from where?), computers and software for the card system?

With the state of the present economy, I see nothing on this list that can’t wait for three or four years until things improve.

Why does KRL want an additional $18.5 million for capitol projects like a new library in Silverdale, a new library in Kingston, funding to help Port Orchard build a new library, a pool of money for other entities, and libraries owned by county and other cities?

KRL says seven libraries are owned by the county or individual cities.

The taxpayers pay taxes to the county — a $79.90 KRL levy tax at present — and it appears that KRL pays rent to the county for their library operations (as they do with all other cities they mentioned).

With the amount of funds being paid by KRL to the county (the landlord) and these other cities, it is the landlords’ responsibility to upgrade, improve, and maintain their buildings with their rental income funds, not additional taxpayer funds.

To KRL, I would inquire as to why they believe the taxpayers should fund their request a second or third time when it is apparent, in my opinion, that more than enough funding is there to run their operation as stated last year by KRL in the media.

By all reports, the economy is going to remain in its present state for three or four years, compounded by Gov. Gregoire, the lawmakers in Olympia, and their “spend-and-tax” mentality, causing me to believe that a levy of any sort at this time is out of the question.

LARRY L. MANN

Port Orchard

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