The Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority (RFA) budget and what it costs the taxpayers:
I am a 68-year senior resident of Kent.
I, like many fixed income seniors, am being literally taxed out of my “American Dream” home.
I have worked hard and saved, designed and built my home 51 years ago to raise my family of eight children.
We, like so many Kent residents, are honestly being forced to move out of our home and the city of Kent due to excessive taxes and assessments, which include fire protection property taxes of $386.90 and additional “fire benefit charges” of $756.07, a total of $1,142.97 per year.
The above taxes added to our total real estate property taxes represents approximately $600 per month total, which is about 11 percent of our before federal taxes fixed income.
Fixed income seniors with little or no hope of COLA increases also pay for garbage, city of Kent sewer and water, power, natural gas, Medicare, Medicare supplement insurance, medicines, gasoline and federal income tax like every other citizen before we buy food, clothing and other necessities of life.
Councilmember Les Thomas supports the fire protection and fire benefit taxes assessments because as he states, “It’s all based on risk and assumptions.”
I do not believe RFA, schools, police, streets, utilities and other city expenses should be based on assumptions, but rather planned budgets and management to stay within budgets.
When does it all end?
– Monte Fugate
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