To the editor:

I am certain that most homeowners on Whidbey Island know that their home values have declined since 2008. Imagine my surprise when I opened our property tax assessment and found our property tax bill had gone up in 2012.

Yes, it seems our Island County commissioners have voted to impose a Clean Water Tax. Since we live on a golf course and have a sealed sewer system that processes our sewage and charges a hefty monthly fee; and since we have a water treatment plant that purifies all water coming in to our house for which we pay a hefty water bill; I was appalled that we would have our property taxes raised in the middle of a severe recession. Since we are low-income seniors, we must look for something else to cut, such as our food budget.

But then I realized we have tax-and-spend Democrats running the county who think it is good government to raise taxes. They get a warm fuzzy feeling when they can take more of our money and create some new government-knows-best project. There is a time and a place for everything, and now is not the time to raise taxes.

Let’s wake up, people, and vote Helen and Angie out in November!

Dean Huthman

Freeland