Pissed off a person on NextDoor this week.
Ok, nothing new about that, for some reason people on NextDoor get up set if you are living a better life then they are.
What did it this time was my refusal to join in the ranting about the property tax bills sent out last month. Now I agree that it was very unfair to jump everyone’s property assessment by 30 to 40% from four years ago. (turning my $150,000 home into a $225,000 one in just four years, which IF you could actually sell it at that rate would be a good return of over 10% growth a year) However they Property Value Office sent out post cards, letters, emails, facebook posts, and several news stories leading up to the end of the appeals date.
The PVO had a simple system, log in, enter your address, download a form, put in three similar properties in the area (follow the link they provide to look up all sales in the last six months in your area with similar properties) pick three and request an adjustment. (If you did not have internet access, they held traveling workshops at local churches and community centers and would do this for you.)
I appealed mine and it was matched with recent sales in the last three months of $162,000, about 2% growth a year and much more realistic. In four days I had a re-assessment I could live with.
Now many people did not bother to even try to appeal the over inflated assessments. “computer adjusted valuation” as it was called. (I think they tapped Zillo’s over price ratings and just used them) The result is the day after tax bills were sent out, people freaked.
On NextDoor I pointed out that anyone could have appealed, and all my neighbors had followed my actions to do so.
This made me a target of hate. Mainly it was “well not everyone has the time to dig through all the hoops” and “they should not have raised the assessment at all”. But the hypocrites came out are who I responded to.
Every single one started off complaining they paid too much for taxes and got too little from the government for them. Pot holes in the highways, lack of police response, lazy government workers in the DMV, trash pick up only once a week and every other week recycling, et al. (most of the complaints were about things the State and Federal gov provide, not the City)
I pointed out that they were complaining that the government was not doing enough with the small amount they were paying. “Small” was the trigger word I think.
They complained about paying “thousands every year on a fixed income” and that they are being driven out of their home by the high taxes. To which I had to ask “how much are you paying?” Because the easy math is Per $100,000 is $755 in property taxes — assuming you are not over 65 or have not applied for the senior discount, then it is $625 per $100,000. So a $500,000 home pays $3,775 a year. ($315 a month, about a car loan payment) The average house in our metro area is $225,000. Just $1,699 a year, $141 a month — the cable/internet/phone bill for most people.
But yeah, that is “too much”.
I called them hypocrites because they wanted massive government services at dirt cheep prices. That they wanted employees to work for even less (because they are “way highly paid for the little they do”) to lower their tax burden. But they insist they get “nothing in return for the excessive taxes” they pay.
Sure, they get a 911 center that is mostly fully staffed 24/7/365 (they are 22% understaffed because people keep leaving for better paying jobs in other cities and counties), a Fire department that responds in 5 minutes or less most of the time (they are 19% under staffed, have seen an increase in sick time use and light duty injuries as well as increased overtime because people keep leaving for other departments that pay better), a police department that responds in 10 min average (but is 28% under staffed because of low pay vs other departments of same size counties), an EMS service that responds in 10 minutes mostly (it is 33% understaffed because every surrounding district starts people at what the Metro pays at 7 years of experience, resulting in a 220% increase use of sick time, 310% increase in forced overtime, 97% increase in work related injuries, and an unstated amount increase in medical errors), 19 libraries, a zoo, over 24 parks, 9 golf courses, trash pick up, recycling pick up, after school programs, court system, jail, probation center, homeless shelters, building inspectors, roads, athletics programs that are also open to homeschoolers (who can’t take part in state approved school’s activities), permit issue, tree care, and much more. All for $141 a month (or me, $104 a month.)
I pointed out that if you want police to show up sooner, see less overtime, better roads and libraries, you need to pay a bit more. That they need to stop demanding BMW level of service for Ford Focus prices.
The response to that is I am an “eco-freak, anti-american, who hates the military and really just a lazy person sucking of the welfare of the tax payer”. So I just ignore them (and block them on my posts about my new garden, or how much I’ve saved with my solar system, or the like) and gladly pay the City one month of my military retirement for the service we get. (and advocate for better pay for us workers, most of whom don’t have the advantage of a pension to make up for the low pay we get, while trying not to get hurt doing back to back 16 hour shifts.)
Living a good life is the best counter to their hate.