STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

Tell us about it

• What would you add to this story? Tell us what we missed.
• Do you have photos from this event? Documents we need to see? Share with us.
• Upload photos & videos
• More ways to get your stuff online and in the paper.

More Letters

• Letter To The Editor: Marco Island ‘under construction’
• Letter To The Editor: The humane thing
• Letter to the Editor: For America’s youth

Share and Enjoy [?]

I recently received a letter from the City of Marco Island explaining that the city is considering an annual assessment on property owners for fire protection services. To say that I was shocked at the audacity of those elected public officials that proposed this would be an understatement!

I cannot believe that members of any public council could possibly be so out of touch with current economic conditions and the critically ill Florida real estate market, that they would propose an additional tax on property owners!

The basic responsibility of cities and towns, since their incorporation, is to provide police and fire protection and this funding is already in place and provided for through our tax bill. Why should property owners be taxed twice for the same service because elected public officials cannot manage the budget? Have officials given any thought to the expense side of the ledger and possibly reducing costs? What an easy job it must be to just increase revenue (raise taxes) when we have spent too much money!

This irresponsible proposal should be rescinded from any consideration and the City Council forced to go back to work.

Geary A. Quinn, Marco Island