Upset about appraisal, taxation

To the editor:

If this letter comes off as "Boy, are they mad as hell," well, we are.

There used to be a bumper sticker that read "Oh Lord, let there be one more oil boom and we promise not to pee it away."

After looking at my real estate appraisal from the Mat-Su Borough, I say "Lord, let us vote one more time on the tax cap and I promise you I will vote for it this time."

I received my new appraisal and couldnt believe it. We had an appraiser come to our property in 1999, protesting the high appraisal and he told us "You can fight it, but you wont win."

Then, if that wasnt bad enough, the day we received our new appraisal March 1, that very night, we got a call from someone doing a survey on whether the Mat-Su Borough should invest in the Hatcher Pass project, with a ski lodge, golf course, etc. My answer was no, and hell no!

Then, on March 13, I read the Frontiersmans headlines, "Schools ask for more," "Its not about trophies in the case," "Mat-Su residents protest proposed elimination of hockey, soccer and swimming."

I figure by us voting down the tax cap, gave the Mat-Su Borough the idea that we would pay, pay, pay, no matter what. Its "Oh, we got them now, its obvious so many people dont even look at their tax bill, they dont care what we do."

A friend said their appraisal was up $44,000. I said, "Oh, you mean $4,400." She said $44,000.

What can you do when youre told "You can protest, but it will not do you any good!" Perhaps its time for the Mat-Su Borough to do something about their attitude, and listen to people who do read their appraisals.

I will send a copy of this letter to the Board of Equalization at the Mat-Su Borough, at 350 E. Dahlia Ave., Palmer, AK 99645-6488, and I hope a lot of you will do the same, no later than March 31.

Millie and Jay Wickham

Palmer