Letters to the editor: 10/19/00

Consider the elderly when you think about selling your property

To the Editor:

One of your questions (on the revaluation notification form) was: "Is your property equally appraised to those with similar properties?" I do not know what the people around us have their property appraised for.

This I know - We are living on land that has been in our family since 1922 (which is an Indian Land Grant). We have worked and tried to take care of what has been passed down to us. We have made sure that it will be passed on down to the future generations of our family.

You also asked whether our property was valued at more than fair market value. Yes. I will say it was, but there will never be a market value placed on one inch of our property, for it will never be sold at any price. Yes, we have had people wanting to buy our land, but we put more than a dollar sign on what we own.

My husband and I are both in our 80s. I wish I could get on a housetop and tell all the people who have had the privilege of being born and reared in Jackson County to please hold on to the land you own. Don't let the dollar sign cause you to sell your property to those people who have come here from Florida and other states to take over our land and county.

I think you people should consider the older people and not turned your land into another Florida. If they have the money and want to pay these big prices for land, that's O.K. with me. Let them build their expensive homes, but let them pay the taxes. They have the money or they wouldn't be up here devouring every inch of Jackson County.

You will see in a few short years just who will control the county. They will be taking your jobs in the county down in the Justice Center. So my advice to you people down there is to let up on the old landowners in the county, for that is the reason you have a job. But not for long, for Florida is going to run and call the shots for you and me.

So wise up while there is time.

Blanche Wike

Cullowhee

Commissioners raised our taxes, not delinquent taxpayers

To the Editor:

Indeed, fewer people default on taxes in good times, so your taxes should have gone down. Your taxes went up because the county commissioners raised them. No one else can raise them across the board.

I will grant you that the commissioners used a back door approach, i.e. the revaluation. If they intended that the revaluation be revenue neutral, (not a tax increase), they would have reduced the tax rate to offset the increased valuation.

Carlton Bostic of Glenville presented an excellent account of how this revaluation was used to raise your taxes in the Oct. 5 Sylva Herald, and I'll not repeat it. He clearly illustrated how the county was given a 40 percent tax increase. Since your increase was more than that, it may be because you made improvements to your property. This would account for some of the increase, but all of the increase over and above what improvements you actually made to your property is the tax increase given by our commissioners.

In short, all the increase in land values, and all the inflation increase where there has been no improvements made, should have been offset by a larger reduction in the tax rate. With a 58 percent increase in the tax base, and less than a 10 percent decrease in the tax rate, your county commissioners raised your taxes, and most other property owners as well.

Whoever told you it was because some people didn't pay their taxes on time was misleading you.

Herald Stockton

Sylva

Thanks for the support

To the Editor:

We had an excellent turnout and want to announce the outcome of the drawing from all those who donated: First prize, a $200 gift certificate to Wal-Mart, was won by Helen Sitton; second prize, a $100 gift certificate to Harold's Supermarket, was won by Terry White; and third prize, a hand-turned cherry wood butter bowl donated by Bob VabStee, was won by Sandie Jones.

Thank you for your support of Wesleyanna.

Sandie Jones

Sylva

Back to Archive: 10/19/00.