Consider Fruitland Fire District

Voters in the Fruitland Fire District being asked to approve a tax increase need to ask themselves: Does the need really justify the nearly doubling of the current tax?

Take out your recent personal and home property tax bill and see how much you paid, then figure that it will be about twice as much if Proposition F passes. Roughly only 10 percent of the district calls were in response to fires with the majority being medical assist. Seeing how this is a "fire district" and not a municipality there are other options by which the district could be set up and the costs billed to the individuals or their insurance. Perhaps it is time for the districts to work together with Cape County to form one district. Cape County is a Class 1 county and the residents deserve better overall fire/first response services not just in one particular area. In rural areas of many other states the fire districts are subsidized by taxpayers and allowed to charge for their services.

The claim was also made that homeowners could see a 20-30 percent drop in their insurance rates. Voters, when was the last time your homeowners insurance actually went down? Don't be fooled. Even if the fire rating improves it is very doubtful to ever correspond to such a decrease in your premiums. Ask your insurance agent. You may get an answer when they stop laughing! Remember to vote April 4 and be an informed voter.

JEFF MANGRUM, Jackson