To the Editor:

The past few months have been filled with letters to the editors, editorials and presentations to the Haywood County Board of Commissioners. All of this has been over property re-evaluations and raised property taxes. In our depressed economy where jobs have been lost, almost half of the people of Haywood County have received an increased valuation of their homes. Indeed, some homes have seen a value increase of nearly 100 percent and have created a situation possibly forcing people out of their homes.

No government is given the constitutional right to harness people with taxes, which will force them to leave what has been their family’s home afor generations. These “salt of the earth” people are what have made this country strong. Now, the “powers that be” are really saying that those people no longer belong here. One commissioner even had the nerve to tell a man that, “he didn’t have to live in Haywood County if he didn’t like the new valuation of his property.” That is an irresponsible and immature response to a citizen of our community.

On top of facing that impossible burden, people of our county may not know that commissioners will vote on a new budget which will hit residents with an approximately 5 percent tax rate increase. Having both more property taxes and an increase of the county tax rate is like putting a double barreled shotgun to the heads of our fellow citizens. It makes one wonder how our county commissioners can live with themselves, when most of our surrounding counties elected to do no re-evaluation due to the blighted economy.

Like most Haywood County residents, we expect our county budget to hold fast, just as each of our household budgets must do. Since we have tightened our belts and do with less, so must departments within the county operations. As the Chairman of the Haywood County Republican Party, I urge the county commissioners to hold the fiscal line, and repeal any tax increase within the budget.

We can live with it, and so must you.

John Meinecke

Haywood County Republican Party Chairman