Where has all the furor gone?

This paraphrasing of a popular folk song begs answer to the question of what happened to all the outrage ignited by a proposed re-evaluation of Auburn residential property values back in November 2005. It seems to have evaporated into thin air.

Perhaps, that is exactly what the City Council hoped for in biding its time and waiting for the eventual apathy and complacency to settle in. The citizenry of Auburn has apparently accepted the resulting property tax increases with nothing but a whimper.

It causes me to think all those meetings, along with the creation of United Citizens of Auburn, were a waste of time and energy. The lowering of residential property taxes has not materialized. Auburn residents have been ill-served by the current council and mayor, whose talk of open communication is nothing more than hot air better suited for propelling a few balloons at the upcoming Great Falls Balloon Festival.

The mail has brought my new tax bill, which shows a huge and unreasonable increase over what was paid two years ago. Have I received any additional services from the city? The neighborhood where I own property represents some of the worst economic and social blight in the city. The area is not worth such an increase, with visible examples of deterioration.

Come November, citizens should vote for a City Council that will make its top priority the substantial lowering of all residential property taxes.

Brian Franck, Auburn

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