Comments on: Damascus citizens group raises stakes in fight against comprehensive plan

By: Jim Lifto

Jim Lifto — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 03:43:53 +0000

Well, Thanks Damascus, now I have lost my home on Tong Rd, due to regulations and Taxes and on and on and on. When I purchased my home on Tong rd my taxes were 1600 a year, and that was in 2000, and now they are $5600 !!! Yup, can you believe that , and guess what, I tried through Keller Williams and I couldn’t even sell my home for $230K !!! Do you think they would lower my taxes ?? I went to Kane Road to debate, but nope , and in fact they said we plan to raise taxes another 3 percent just because we can !!! I was in a bad accident right in front of Christ the Vine Luthern Church in 09, hit by a non insured teen, with 6 days in intensive care at OHSU and one full year of physical theropy I survived, but I couldn’t keep up the daily maintenance anymore on that 2.1 acres anymore. People , in Damascus the taxes are way out of sanity, and need to come back to reality. I had to move to a trailer house, where the taxes are 200 a year, and I’m now in a senior center, , nothing like what I had. I lost over 300K in investment, but its because of many things. One the accident, two the taxes, (people see what they would have to pay and say forget it , taxes too high), and three whats next, will we have to hook up to sewers, sidewalks, gas, can we divide, can we cut trees , , , , hummm some yes and some no, , but you better pay your taxes and get a second job or they’ll take your home !!

By: Craig Levie

Craig Levie — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:19:09 +0000

I’m a resident of the city and own a business outside of town. My business requires many long hours and between that and my family I don’t have the time or the ability to attend city council meetings. That’s why we elect city council members. To represent our view. I’m sure there are many residents like me. My core value is “protecting property rights”.

Damascus doesn’t have a large population of renters unless you count the family members moving back into their parents house because of the economy. Therefore, most of the population in Damascus owns their home and property. I do not want to sacrifice the ability to manage my own property with restrictions such as the requirement for a 200′ set back from streams or waterways that was part of the rejected comprehensive plan for future development.

I plan to follow the advice of the current city mayor. Mayor Spinnett understand my core values. If residents like me are are not represented by our city council and we are required to show up at city council meeting to personally voice our “core values” we should probably think about electing new members.

Craig

By: Hank Oredson

Hank Oredson — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 03:12:46 +0000

From my personal involvement with Damascus city government, specifically the city council, it is clear there is not yet an understanding of the 2 to 1 vote to rescind approval of the comprehensive plan. I suspect that the council members will understand things a bit better at the next election. Their attitude and their future work on the plan will become a litmus test for possible re-election. The “core values” statement is exactly what the voters rejected. That statement of values needs to be redone, with significant citizen input. That input was seriously lacking in the existing document.

… Hank

By: Jim Lifto

Jim Lifto — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 02:49:31 +0000

People want some control in what is going on in Damascus, because we have a very large investment, our home and it is located in its boarders. We pay out a lot of hard earned money to have a say in where it is to go, and what rights we want to give up. Already I personally have lost many rights since the new damascus township has begun. I used to be able to target practice in my back yard, (safely, with adaquate back drop), but now that it has become Damascus incorporated, that right was taken away, , , and that was part of the reason I bought the property in the first place !! I would also like to devide my property to my daughters, , but don’t look like it now. My taxed have gone up dramatically, but I haven’t seen any, and I repeat , Any improvemens, ,, when do we see any? Well, we pay more, but we lost our Library cards, , , oopppps , until we finally agreed to pay even more taxes !!!!!! ITs got to stop people, , time to lower the property taxes or totaly eiminate them !!!
Jim