To the Editor:
As a homeowner in Fairfax County, I'm disturbed that our property taxes have jumped 53 percent in the last four years. It is becoming nearly impossible for seniors and low-income families to stay here as a result. Where has all the money gone?
I'm not receiving 53 percent more in services. Perhaps the new jail facility is a good example of our local government's fiscal prudence. They proposed and passed a bond referendum and built this new facility. Now it stands empty, though but still requires money for maintenance and to service the debt incurred for its construction. This may explain why the supervisors are squeezing the taxpayers so hard.
House of Delegates candidate Rob McDowell supports a law to limit the County's ability to raise property taxes so obscenely high. McDowell would also put a cap on assessed values for property owners who are more than 60 years old. And Rob McDowell is the only candidate in this contest to sign the "Taxpayer Protection Pledge." We must vote for McDowell on November 4.
Anders Warga
Vienna