Letter: Local government took advantage of levy

When our property valuation by the county was received last year I wasn’t overly concerned that the value of our place was increased by 45 percent. I told the wife that this would be partly balanced by decreases in the tax levy, since more value placed on everyone’s property would require a lower mill levy in order to raise the same amount of money. Wrong! When our tax bill came, we discovered our taxes had been increased by 32 percent.
How did this happen? The various taxing entities did not lower their levies! (They probably felt they should be congratulated for not raising the levy). Only the town of Meeker allowed a tax credit, which resulted in our payment to them only increasing by 7 percent. All of the others went up a full 45 percent.
We are all aware that this is the way the federal and state governments work, but it came as a surprise to find the same pattern in local government. The county assessor told me recently that evaluations in Rio Blanco County were at an all-time high. Some taxing entities may have justification for more income; the county, could use more money for road improvements. But the Meeker Sanitation District, shortly after raising monthly fees by 17 percent? Come on!
Dick Prosence
Meeker