City’s tax gets you no matter where you live
I share Gary Wigle’s frustration with the new utility tax (June 26, “Unexpected and unwanted ‘bonus’ in city’s utility tax”).
I, too, was surprised to find an added surcharge in my verizon bill for the Covington city tax. I am even more angry and frustrated because I don’t live in Covington. I live in unincoporated King County, but since I have a 98042 zip code, Verizon is charging me the utility tax.
The representative I spoke to at Verizon told me it didn’t really matter where I live, that the tax was based on the zip code of my account.
The city is probably getting an even bigger windfall than it expected when it created the tax. I wonder how many of my neighbors haven’t even noticed the new charges. Why would the city consider a tax now when they collect taxes from those that don’t even live within the city boundaries?
Anyone want to share a PO box in the Bahamas?
STACY MORSE
Maybe Maple Valley should take services back from the county
Since Ron “The Donut Hole Man” Sims announced a cut of funds for the King County Sheriff Department and jail, our sheriff has threatened cuts in police services and access to jails and courts. Just when gasoline is over $4 a gallon, food prices are out of sight and the value of our dollar is declining, we get hit with “Donut Hole Man” threatening to cut funds from the entities that keep our families safe at night.
As a resident of Maple Valley, I know that I pay a lot in property taxes and local taxes and would expect that it was enough to keep an adequate amount of police and firemen inside our city limits. We shouldn’tbe at the mercy of the Donut Hole Man when it comes to the protection of our homes and families.
He has already shown a lack of respect and care for the gridlock problem we have on the Maple Valley Highway by suggesting the Donut Hole be built with hundreds of new homes without concern of adequate infrastructure..Is there enough water and sewer to accommodate an influx of several thousand new people in Maple Valley? Would there be enough room in our schools to absorb the new resident children? Will there be adequate fire and police protection as required by state and federal standards based on population? Will the existing road (Maple Valley Highway) be adequate with the influx of 2,000 to 3,000 more vehicles per day?
How do the people that live here feel about uncontrolled growth?
For those of us that have been around for a while, I still can remember the beautiful little city of Kirkland until uncontrolled growth brought in gridlock, crime, crowds of people and much higher taxes! Most of the old Kirkland residents have long since left the area in search of the Kirkland they used to know.
If we are going to grow like Kirkland and we can’t stop the builders or the Donut Hole Man, then why not take our services back from King County? Our city can and should maintain an adequate police force, jail and fire department.
Our city should also demand a full accounting of taxes taken by King County to ensure the return of services for the taxpayers money taken.
GEORGE KELLEY Maple Valley
