The Fargo City Commission tonight on Jan. 3 failed to do their duty to the taxpayers of the city of Fargo. They turned down a resolution to reduce the cost of tax incentives on new houses. This resolution would have made the tax incentive graduated so that a house costing more than $250,000 would get no tax break.
Do people building a $500,000 house need a tax break? I don't think so, but our mayor is so afraid that West Fargo will attract more home buyers than Fargo, that he will not reduce the tax breaks on Fargo houses. These breaks cause our real estate taxes to be higher because we have to subsidize new house taxes for a couple of years.
I don't think we need any tax incentives on new houses. So what if West Fargo builds more new houses then Fargo? Fargo is getting too crowded anyway. Try driving in Fargo between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. It is a lot different today than it was 20 years ago.
It is getting to the point where senior citizens cannot afford to live in their own houses because of the high property taxes.
The Fargo City Commission has a duty to the city's taxpayers to do everything they can to reduce property taxes, but instead, our commissioners seem to spend money like drunken sailors and increase property taxes each year. How long will our citizens stand for it?
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There is an election coming up this spring, so please, taxpayers, stop and think before you vote.
Chas F. Lein
Fargo
