Dear Mayor Miles and Council Members Tarlau and Updike:
When
I bought my home here a little over three years ago, the estimated property
taxes gave me pause. However, home prices were low enough compared to the District
that I took the plunge. I'm glad I did because I think Mount Rainier has a
bright future. Our first priority should be to find more revenue in order to
provide residents with the services they want. We should follow Hyattsville's
example and annex adjacent commercial properties aggressively. I would also support
temporarily raising taxes enough to maintain current service levels.
Ultimately, I would like to see the tax rate go down, but first we need to
increase our tax base.
If
the City Council has to make cuts, we need to be careful not to cut our feet
out from underneath us. For example, the police department is not fully
staffed. Skimping on police protection will tend to hurt our property values
and erode our tax base. Crime has been reduced in Mount Rainier, but I would go
so far as to suggest filling the vacant police position. Let's kick crime while
it's down and eliminate problem areas like the BP Station at Eastern and Varnum
for good. We should also consider investing in an economic development staffer,
like we've had before, who can focus on increasing our prosperity while freeing
up other staff to provide essential services. Finally, anything that tends to
improve the public’s perception of Mount Rainier, and consequently attracts
businesses and residents, would be a good investment now. This could include
blight remediation, tree planting, code enforcement, and miscellaneous
beautification projects.
Sincerely,
Jesse Christopherson
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