Letters for Friday, Dec. 12

Tax credit injustice

So we have chronic city, county and state tax revenue shortfalls but we’re giving huge state-mandated 90% or more property tax cuts to retired baby boomers in their paid-off homes so they have more money to spend at a warehouse club or a casino?! Does it get any dumber, Riccelli, Ormsby or Hill?

An annual income $50,000 is now the cutoff for the senior low-income property tax credit. That’s the equivalent of about $25 per hour working 40 hours a week all year. That’s low income?!

Meanwhile renters and younger homeowners pay the full property tax freight to the city, county and state as well as school districts.

It takes almost three months’ rent to pay taxes and insurance on my rental houses that is reflected in the rent working people pay.

While we drone on about rent logarithms? Who cares?! My renters can’t afford anymore rent!

It’s high time to right this idiotic injustice.

Mike Reno

Newman Lake

Fighting wildfire risk takes collaboration

As wildfire seasons grow longer and more intense across the Inland Northwest, the importance of proactive forest management and interagency collaboration has never been clearer. On behalf of Avista, I want to extend our deep appreciation to the Idaho Department of Lands and the Washington Department of Natural Resources for their leadership in wildfire mitigation and forest health.

Both agencies have implemented forward-thinking strategies, including mechanical thinning, prescribed burning, and fuel breaks, all of which reduce wildfire risk while improving ecosystem resilience. Their use of science-based forest treatments and landscape-scale planning has helped safeguard communities, critical infrastructure and natural resources.

We are especially grateful for their partnership with utilities like ours. Through coordinated efforts and shared stewardship agreements, we’ve worked together to identify high-risk areas near transmission corridors, implement vegetation management strategies, and improve emergency response protocols.

These collaborations are vital. Wildfire poses a significant threat to electric infrastructure, and by working hand in hand with state agencies, we’re able to reduce risk and protect the communities we serve.

We commend the Idaho Department of Lands and Washington DNR not only for their technical expertise but for their commitment to partnership. Their work exemplifies what’s possible when public agencies, utilities, and communities unite around a shared goal: protecting the places we call home.

Heather Rosentrater

Avista CEO and president

Spokane