Roll back Naples tax increase?

In September 2018, the Naples City Council voted to increase the city's general fund property tax millage from 1.15 to 1.18 "to re-establish contingency reserves depleted while responding to the needs related to Hurricane Irma." 

While presenting the proposed 2019-20 budget to the council Aug. 19, city staff stated the emergency reserves are adequate and no further additions need to be included in the new budget. However, the proposed property tax millage in the new budget remains at 1.18, with expenditures increasing by $8 million. 

Since this property tax increase was enacted a year ago, taxable property values have increased by 4.5%, FEMA reimbursements of about $7 million have been received or are due to be received, and Collier County enacted a special one-cent sales tax, of which Naples is estimated to receive $25 million to $30 million.  

So why is the council effectively converting a "temporary" tax increase last year to a permanent tax increase this year when there already is sufficient revenue? Can’t we rescind this tax increase, reduce expenditures and live within our means?

Please contact the council or speak at the council's public hearing on the proposed budget and tax rate Wednesday

Ted Blankenship, Naples

Bonita taxes, downtown development

To the Bonita Springs mayor and City Council:

I have been inundated with phone calls, emails and remarks at the Alliance meeting Tuesday night about the raise in taxes in the downtown area. 

People are expressing their dissatisfaction over a tax increase downtown coupled with a possible stormwater fee while millions of dollars of city residents' taxes are tied up in the vacant Bamboo and other properties downtown. The properties themselves, once sold, will also generate yearly taxes. 

Further frustration was expressed to me about the fact that taxes are being raised and there is still no Form Based Code in place and development is virtually at a standstill downtown because of it.

How can we attract investors in downtown when we price it out of reach and won't allow development? A brewery/tap room, outside dining with alcohol and entertainment, and food trucks are things that would have been generating taxes and attracting people downtown, but they have been put on hold until the code is passed.

Property owners say taxes are going up while ability to use our property is being forfeited? While we all wish to see the downtown realize it's rightful potential, we should not lose sight that it does us no good if nothing is done and it costs residents every year it is vacant. Yes, lets do it right, but that means right for now, not 10 years from now.

Alliance members asked that I share these concerns with you.  

John Paeno, Bonita Springs Downtown Alliance president 

Amazon forest fires' risks for all

Significant portions of the Amazon rain forest are on fire.

Something like 20% of the oxygen you are breathing originates in the region.

These fires have been set intentionally to clear land for "development."

Brazil's authoritarian president has been slow to react to the crisis and has actively championed development over conservation in the area.

If this kind of "leadership" is not vigorously resisted around the world, your children and your children's children will inherit a planet unrecognizable even by today's compromised standards.

Authoritarian science deniers such as Bolsonaro and Trump are unfit to govern, based on their ignorant and borderline suicidal environmental policies alone.

Geremy Spampinato, North Naples

The Democratic candidates

They asked for it. The Democrats champion diversity so they took on 24 presidential candidates and wound up with nothing more than adversity. Sad.

Walt Kozlowski, North Naples 

From far left to left out?

Thanks to the Democrats' far left policies, they have all but  guaranteed that President Trump will be re-elected in 2020.

Mike Pence will be president until 2032, and Nikki Haley will be the first woman president in 2032. That said, the Democrats will have until 2040 to change their policies and get back in the race.

In the meantime, enjoy your role as also-rans. But don't hold your breath. Liberals never learn.

J.N. Miranda, Naples

Climate change, residential change

All the inundating opinions about climate change, scholarly or otherwise, but no definitive conclusions, including that it's man-made. But we could protect ourselves by backing away from shorelines and populating higher elevations. Do something! We may only have 10 or 12 years.

Vince D'Angelo, Naples

Profits over people who labor? 

Labor Day is a day to remember our labors and the labors of our fellow citizens, and  those who labored before us.

We have turned into a country where profits for shareholders are the main or only goal. Before the 1970s, there was a system of loyalty between corporations and their employees. Since then we have turned into a profit system. It has demoralized our citizens and economically destroyed our middle class.

We need to turn back to a business culture that focuses on a purpose beyond pure profits. We need a system that engages all its stakeholders — customers, employees, suppliers, investors and others. An ethical free-market system should concentrate on the whole business ecosystem to create and optimize value for all its stakeholders.

Our country is wealthy because of all of our labors. I suggest we labor together to change the direction our country has taken. I suggest we pray for the courage to change our ways so that all our citizens can grow more fully into that which God intended for us.

The Rev. Kirk A. Rollo, Progressive Episcopal Church, Cape Coral 

Where is Congress on tariffs?

Congress seems oddly compliant in allowing the president to usurp its constitutional power to tax, which includes taxing foreign imports.

Yes, we know that many years ago, Congress gave the president power to impose an import tax on certain things in case of a national emergency. Surely, you can’t believe that taxing  wine from France, as the president threatened to do, relates in any way to a national emergency.

The president’s reckless use of important tariffs appears to be an abuse of power and a violation of the constitutional restriction on such power.

We the people should demand that our members of Congress do their duty. If they support taxes on French wine or the products from China that the president is unilaterally taxing, they should say so. If not, they ought to act to stop that authoritarian behavior.

Bill Johnson, Fort Myers

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