The petitioners out gathering signatures in Auburn to recall the mayor and half the City Council need to step back, take a deep breath and learn a little more about their issue.

Our properties have been reevaluated. That is required by law. The values have gone up. No surprise there. In fact, that is good news. I am very excited that my house is worth twice what I paid for it.

Does that mean my taxes have gone up? Maybe. Maybe not.

The re-evaluation is a zero sum exercise. The assessments go up, the mill rate goes down and, in the end, the city collects the same dollars as it would without the re-evaluation. Some people will pay more; some people will pay less.

But the overall taxes collected will not increase unless the City Council increases the budget.

At this point, this is much ado about nothing. If the City Council passes a budget that increases everyone’s actual taxes by 50 percent, then there will be something to complain about and I will be happy to lead the charge.

Jonathan Harris, Auburn