To the editor:

I urge my fellow citizens of Island County to vote no on Proposition 1.

This is not just a one-time $40 increase, as proponents want you to believe. It permanently raises the levy lid above the current annual limit of smaller of CPI or 1 percent to the greater of CPI or 1 percent. This could mean tax increases every year.

I worry about those on fixed incomes who could be priced out of their homes by unpredictable tax increases.

This request is a permanent solution for what could be a temporary problem. Downturns in the economy are cyclical.

Furthermore, our county commissioners have not shown a willingness to prioritize law and justice in their budgeting. Although the proponents of this tax increase are using law-and-justice cuts as the reason to vote yes, the language of the ballot measure gives us no such assurance.

Send a message to the commissioners to make law and justice a budget priority. Responsible leadership should create an alternate plan for a temporary measure to increase taxes during this troublesome time in our economy.

Vote no. This measure is not the right solution for Island County.

Kathy Jones

Oak Harbor