This marked the precise moment I ceased to trust elected officials. It nearly bankrupted us. I contacted our City Council to protest and they said it was my right to come down to the next meeting and voice my opposition but then said it wouldn't do any good because they had already passed the assessments prior to when the meeting would be held. The person I spoke with even had the nerve to try to spin it in a positive light. He said the city decided to pass the assessments then because interest rates were historically low. Ruthless f*ckers.