To the editor:

I would like to respond to Mayor Mike Amyx’s statement in the Lawrence Parks & Recreation Department’s Activities Guide, Dec. 3, regarding “Myth: The city raised my 2007 property taxes.”

It is admirable that the mayor defends the city against Douglas County assessments on property values, which, by the way, affect property owners in the city as well as in Douglas County. The mayor’s office must have felt the sting of property owners complaining about the staggering rise in property taxes, especially among retired citizens, who live on Social Security.

We cannot spend what we do not have, but it seems like Douglas County spends what they don’t have and we have to pick up the tab.

The mayor’s sales tax proposal is one way to raise revenue, but the county will eat that up and more if we don’t find other means of drawing in revenue for growth. If anyone has any positive thoughts, contact Douglas County and tell them to stop spending what they don’t have.

Richard Dorshorn,

Baldwin City