Letters for Saturday, July 26, 2014

• Treatment at hospital beyond great • County coming after more property taxes • PETA: Trap, neuter, release not the answer • County needs to reduce spending 

Treatment at hospital beyond great 

We arrived from New York a few weeks ago and have delighted in Kauai … the beauty of its people and its landscape. Three days ago, my husband was taken by ambulance to Wilcox Memorial Hospital. Turns out an inner ear virus was causing his frightening symptoms. What a relief! When I went to pick him up after his two-night stay, I too was exhibiting vertigo symptoms. Crazy coincidence! I was then treated in ER. We are both back at our condo rental, taking it easy. But as we sit on the lanai, enjoying the breeze, we feel the need to send a shout out to Kauai’s fire department and EMS, as well as those at Wilcox. Each and every staff member we came in contact with went above and beyond in caring for us. We were treated as if we were family. The aloha spirit is most certainly alive and well on Kauai! 

Christine Hanratty – Long Island, NY

County coming after more property taxes

My “Tax Shocker” this year came when I received the property tax bill for an affordable rental we own in Kilauea. For several years the county has had a program that gives a property tax reduction if you rent a property at or below certain established rent levels and you annually give the county a copy of  your lease and a completed form to verify your compliance. Our little rental house has been in the program since the beginning. Last year, the county moved the deadline for delivering the lease and the form forward by three months. I missed the memo and brought in my paperwork two weeks too late. Last week, I learned my punishment when the property tax bill arrived. 

The tax bill will be $3,200 higher this year, even though the same tenants are still there, and the rent is still the same. Miss a deadline with the tax office and you will not get a reminder, a slap on the wrist, or even 20 hours of community service. You can end up paying thousands more in taxes. There are burglars and car thieves walking around on this island that don’t pay a price like that until about their 35th arrest. Beware property owners. The county of Kauai needs money and they know where to get it.   

Mike Dyer – Kilauea

PETA: Trap, neuter, release not the answer 

PETA is concerned about both feral cats and the animals they hurt and kill (“Tell the world of feral cats,” 7-22-14). Cats left outside to fend for themselves routinely incur ghastly injuries and infections, contract deadly contagious diseases, are poisoned and shot by cruel people, and are hit by cars, attacked by wildlife, and worse. Even easily treatable conditions like urinary tract infections and flea infestations can become deadly for cats who cannot be handled.  

Feral cats (who are not native and do not fit into the predator-prey ecosystem) also maim and kill countless local birds and other small animals who aren’t equipped to deal with the large concentration of predators that comes with a feral cat colony. The agony these animals endure is not inconsequential. Trapping, neutering, and releasing feral cats is not humane for cats or wildlife. The only humane solution is to crack down on people who abandon cats and to require that all cat guardians have their feline companions spayed and neutered and kept indoors. 

Teresa Chagrin – Animal Care & Control Specialist People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) – Norfolk

County needs to reduce spending 

 It is a good idea that some council members want to hold a public tax workshop (July 25, TGI). However, it is an even better idea for the council and mayor to hold a public workshop on how to reduce the county’s exorbitant spending to get a reasonable budget that doesn’t require huge increases in property taxes.

Peter Nilsen – Princeville