This letter is in response to the article from Commissioner Brown which claimed the county would be losing tax revenue because of incorporating the City of Silverdale.

“Lost tax revenue,” who is the county kidding?  Does anyone in Silverdale think their taxes are going to magically disappear? No, of course not; once we are a city the current taxes already being paid will just stay in Silverdale. The county spends $320 million dollars annually.

Voting YES to incorporate will keep $11M in Silverdale. If Kitsap County was spending that $11M in Silverdale now, there would be no change because when the city replaces county governance the city will be responsible for those expenses and the county will save those costs.

The only difference is WHERE and WHO spends your taxes. For years the county has been taking funds from Silverdale and spending them elsewhere and that is the reason they fear “losing (Silverdale’s) tax revenue.”

The “No” yard signs say higher taxes. So which is it, are taxes magically disappearing or going higher? Neither. Sales taxes (85%) will stay in Silverdale and property taxes will go down as the county road tax is eliminated. The City of Silverdale will have more money per person than any other local city. Citizens of Silverdale may choose to build a new library or improve the parks, but people here will decide that for themselves, not the county.

Voting yes to incorporate the City of Silverdale remedies the “lost tax revenue” and keeps your taxes within your community. Replacing county control with directly elected representation will fix “taxation without representation.” Vote YES to form the City of Silverdale.

Marcus Hoffman

Silverdale