Deceptive fee measure

Editor,

The Jan. 5 headline, “Voters pass stormwater fee” was deceptive. The ballot was sent to 27,000 property owners, not “voters.” Of those, 5,200 voted. By a narrow margin, the fee passed. End result: Approximately 2,700 people raised taxes on 100,000 plus people, most of whom were not allowed to vote. I have no objection to the work this fee will fund. I object to the deceptive way the fee was passed. Property owners received a ballot that stated a very small fee would be added to property tax bills if the measure passed. What the sponsors of the bill didn’t state clearly was that the actual amount was 12 times higher than the stated fee: They quoted a monthly charge for a yearly bill. My elderly sick brother depends on a small commercial lot for survival. This new measure will add $530 to his yearly property tax bill. He can’t afford that, so he’ll pass on the cost to his tenants, who had no say in the vote. His tenants will pass that onto their customers, who also had no voice. How is this fair or legal? This action has given any special interest group a blueprint on how to raise taxes on the majority without their say.