Property owners facing increasing expenses

With all due respect, were the two letters published last week serious justifications to increase the taxes on the decreasing number of homes actually occupied in Ritzville?

Admittedly, the owners of the many unoccupied properties will also be billed for these taxes. However, what are the justifications for these taxes: The class of 1956 had a dream? Many “fine folks” made donations and put in time raising money? Project 56 used some of the money to renovate the tennis court?

Finally, someone who is not going to be paying these taxes says that running on a “well maintained modern track” taught some undefined life lesson? This obligates a shrinking population to pay more taxes? Really? The hospital district may as well have a levy to stop breast cancer. Oh, did I say that out loud? Hospital district, forget I said that. Well, since it is out there, all of the presumed reasons for the Project 56 levy also apply to the Relay For Life and many other “dreams” that people have here in Ritzville.

Can we really afford to finance every “dream” that a group of people have?

From what I hear, unless we accept drastic increases in our utility bills, we may not have water when we turn on the faucet and our toilets will back up.

Are those with the Project 56 dream, some of whom do not live in the state let alone in town, going to share these life-changing experiences with us?

To be fair, it was mentioned that we might save on road trips. Could we have a cost/benefit analysis on that? How many years is it going to take to save enough on road trips to cover this levy and how is that savings going to be returned to the taxpayers?

Dave Miller, Ritzville