I am struggling to understand what the SKFD bond is all about. We are in the middle of a pandemic with over 15 percent unemployed here, businesses lost and many folks struggling to eat and to educate their children at home. Apparently, everyone in South Kitsap is rich, so what’s another tax increase to them?

First, I tire of the “better response time” mantra. A fire truck can only go so fast on the winding county roads and the many dirt roads leading to most homes.

Second, what exactly is wrong with the firehouses? Is there no maintenance and upkeep plan? Many buildings, houses and stores in South Kitsap are older than the firehouses, so what makes them outdated? Maintaining and modernizing them versus giving bigger pay raises to everyone seems a better solution.

And finally, how did they get in the wrong places after so many years?

If we actually do need to replace them, why not one at a time? Will they be expandable to accommodate future growth? While this cost sounds modest, what about future costs such as salary levies and apparatus and equipment levies to follow?

Most of our school buildings are older than the firehouses, and sadly, somehow they remain usable and maintained. Why are we replacing these firehouses again, building others, and now a public safety campus? Vote NO until the justification makes sense to the average (not rich) taxpayer.

Jeff Daily

Port Orchard