poor conditions

Property taxes have sky rocketed as assessed value of homes have increased. Let us say assessed value is $300,000 and your real estate taxes are $3,000. When your assessed value is determined to be $600,000 your property taxes automatically go to $6,000.

What exactly do our basic taxes pay? Each year we are asked to vote for or extend and increase school levies (maintenance, building, small classes) Medic One, low income housing, parks, etc. that are added on to the basic tax. (After all, it is only $.45-$.60 per $1,000 of assessed value.) So just what does our basic tax get spent on?

A lot of us don't care what the assessed value is until time to sell. We have worked all our lives to pay off our home and would like to be able to remain in it as long as we choose.

Please do not try to tell me, as the governor has proposed, that deferring my property taxes with interest of course, if I meet certain criteria is the same as relief. It is not. In fact, very far from it.

Our police force is staffed at 1970 levels among other things. You can juggle the numbers all you want but on the street, in uniform, answering calls we are still stuck in the 70's. My personal acknowledge is there have not, I repeat not, been two man patrol cars since the late 1960's-earl, early 70's.

I come from a law enforcement family. Great grandfather, grandfather, father and husband. If either of my sons had sought a career in law enforcement I would advise them (as many present officers are their children) to look to Oregon, California or even cities in Washington except Seattle. You will get better pay, better benefits, better retirement, housing help, educational assistance and certainly more respect and care from your employers - the elected officials of the city of Seattle.

My thanks to the Seattle police officers who continue to serve under these conditions.

Harriet Benjamin

Harbor Avenue