Dear editor,Where do our council and regional district think we are going to get the money to pay our taxes for all the major projects underway and proposed?First, Courtenay City Hall. I know hindsight is 20/20, but, buying and renovating an old garage as an emergency measure I could understand, but continuing to put money into a worn-out structure has to end sometime.I can’t find the tax increase for this project but at an interest rate of 5.5 per cent it’s bound to be substantial.Then we have the Lewis Centre renos at $4.2 million. Again, more taxes.I didn’t see any comment about increasing user rates for this facility. And of course operating costs will go up as well, as more labour costs to hire more people to operate the facility.Now we have a proposal to spend $3.3 million to install two soccer fields. Is someone suggesting we are going to get a professional soccer league in our district? If so let the association pay for it.And of course, it’s reported that the taxes would go up by only$18. At least we will get a chance to vote on this in a referendum, which should only cost about $100,000 dollars to run.And in the wings we have the farmers’ representatives still pushing for public money for a farm market.So for all of the above we are told our taxes should not go up any more than $60 a year. I don’t know about anyone else, but that just puts me over the top of what I can afford.Our leaders keep building new empires and then staffing them, knowing that we sheep will blindly accept the slow erosion of our limited resources. More taxes and fees for fewer services or extra services we can do nicely without.Just as an aside, how much is the regional district’s advertising budget for sprinkling restrictions?I guess I shouldn’t complain; the City is finally going to pave parts of Sixth Street East. The first time since our previous city administrator, Mr. Ratcliffe, lived up here.All of our elected representatives must know that there is only one taxpayer. As the old cartoon said it’s UNO WHO. They should stop pointing to the fact that it’s federal money or provincial money or regional district money. We, the residents of the Comox Valley pay the total amount through one of the many levies.Bernie Guyader,Courtenay

Comox Valley Record