What Are We Doing?

Voting game (October 12, 2016)

There are some local hot button Measures on the ballot this November in Apple Valley. It is almost reminiscent of the old game of who’s got the button. Everyone has their hands out to receive the button and the rest have to guess who will receive it. In the election game it seems to be the local politicians versus the tax payers, and instead of a button it is tax dollars.

Apple Valley Fire Protection District wants you to approve a property tax increase, but has hidden the fact that if you vote to do that, you also will forever give up your right to make future decisions on raising the tax rates for the District, over and above the standard 2% increase, and essentially give the District a blank check on future taxation and no expiration date. Citizens cannot afford an action to repeal it, and the Board will never repeal it. AVFPD claims they will be accountable to the citizens, but how accountable were they when they did not provide all the facts in their rush to apply fear mongering and to sell a damaged idea to the public?

The Town of Apple Valley wants you to support their measure, letting the Council decide whether or not to incur more debt on the taxpayers, but they will hold a public hearing on debt over $5 million. We all know how they don’t listen to the will of the people at public hearings. Even the Mayor misstated the issues when Council moved to support the AVFPD tax.

The local politicians have demonstrated they cannot be trusted. Why is adding more tax always the standby choice of government. They lack creativity or ability to seek other solutions because taxing is the only thing they know. Before giving up all your voting rights, you must READ what you are voting for. Just like anything you buy, sales people make promises, but the only thing that matters is what is in writing. Putting aside all the propaganda, the simple voting options are:

1. Vote Yes on Measures A and W and No on Measure V, and politicians will decide for you what your taxes and debt will be.
2. Vote No on Measure A and W and Yes on Measure V and you retain your constitutional right to decide what your taxes and debt will be.

I would like to think that Apple Valley citizens will opt to retain their constitutional voting rights and keep the button in their own hands.

— Leane Lee, Apple Valley