To the editor:

Yet again, commissioners talk about needing money to clean up the K-10 industrial area, plus other “essential” projects. And, how does it get funded? Well, by raising property taxes.

We realize Lawrence is a popular place to live and will grow – often in a fashion that too closely resembles Overland Park – not the homey, laid-back Lawrence we chose to make our home 30 years ago. It takes money to provide facilities and services for growth, but does raising property taxes always have to be the answer?

Over the past years, there’s been a number of large businesses granted large tax breaks to entice them to come to town. More than a few have either left town or failed to produce promised jobs. These tax breaks are a bad idea in general. If a company really wants to expand or locate here, they should be expected to shoulder their share of the tax burden.

Our property taxes have been raised annually. This last week, property values in our neighborhood rose anywhere from $2,000 to $70,000! When do we get a break? We wonder what Mayor Boog pays in property taxes when he seems so anxious to raise ours.

We’re getting older, looking at working with a fixed income and asking ourselves where will the money come from. We hate to think of leaving the house we love because we can no longer afford to live in it.

Look for other sources of funding. There’s a difference between wanting and needing.

Judy Northway and Craig Tucker,

Lawrence