More info needed before a yes vote on levies

Dear Editor:

I agree with some others who think the proposed fire and EMS levies are asking too much from us at this time.

The economy is tanking. Some of my neighbors are just walking away from their homes because they can't afford them and can't sell them, nobody is getting raises in pay, the assessor keeps raising our assessed values in spite of the market, and prices keep going up.

The brochure put out by Camano Island Fire and Rescue did a reasonable job of explaining in general the purpose of the levies, but it did not tell us why such significant increases are needed.

It would have been helpful to show the 2009 incomes for fire and for EMS and show specifically how the increased income would be used.

I have a problem with the statement that the fire district would have to reduce services without a new levy.

Yes, the levy rate goes down as the tax base goes up, but the dollars received by the district actually increase slightly, so it seems the same level of service could be maintained.

The fire levy increase could have been postponed for a year or two.

While I truly appreciate the fire district and the EMS, I have a problem with voting for the proposed levies without more information supporting them.

Tom Difloe Camano Island