Dateline: April 6, 2006

Petitioners seek relief from property taxes

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

A large crowd filled the Clarendon Lions Hall last Tuesday evening to find out more about three tax-related petitions being circulated and to vent their frustrations over local taxes.

The petitions request local officials to put the following topics on the ballot for a general election: the abolition of the Donley County Hospital District tax, the repeal of personal property taxes, and a freeze or cap on property taxes for elderly and disabled citizens.

More than 100 people attended the meeting. Some readily signed and supported the petitions, some opposed one or more petitions, and some came just to listen.

Claude DeBord spoke on behalf of the group calling themselves the Concerned Citizens of Donley County.

“We’re just trying to get these items on the ballot,” he said. “Just sign the ones you want to. You can tell by the turn out, we’ve got a lot of people concerned.”

DeBord introduced hospital board president Alan Fletcher, who in turn explained how the hospital district spends local tax dollars.

“I don’t think a lot of people understand where their tax dollars go,” Fletcher said. “The Medical Center Nursing Home is making money now. The tax dollars go to indigent care, the debt (on notes for remodeling and improvements), and the ambulance service.”

Fletcher said the hospital district tax amounts to $4.74 per month on the average house in Donley County.

“Is covering the indigent costs and the ambulance service worth $4.74 per month?” Fletcher asked.

Several citizens in attendance asked about the costs involved in operating the ambulance service and about the charge for an ambulance trip, which officials said is based on a per mile rate and goes to cover the high cost of maintenance and equipment for the ambulances. One heart monitor can cost up to $28,000, officials said.

Local resident Karen Spruel said she once questioned the hospital tax but she now credits the ambulance service with saving her life by responding to and correctly diagnosing a heart ailment.

“We need to be careful what we say ‘no’ to,” she said of the hospital tax.

Verna Teague gave a short history of the origins of the petitions, and Jacquetta Owens discussed the petition to freeze taxes on the elderly. She said the measure, if enacted, would freeze the dollar amount of taxes a the current rate but said taxes on elderly or disabled residents could still go up or down depending on changes they make to their homes.

Other topics discussed included the personal property tax, which is levied on items such as cars, boats, planes, and RVs. Some residents questioned the legitimacy of the tax, and others said they might move out of the county because of the personal property tax.