Dear Brooke County: NO! Stop taxing us!!!
Well, this is going to kill my chances at winning any political office in my home town, but…
Brooke County residents may be asked to approve an 11.6 percent levy increase in a special election Oct. 17, as several county entities want more money under the renewal levy.
…Brooke County’s libraries are requesting an increase of $30,000 annually during the next five years. No representative was present at the meeting, but a letter to the commission stated the increase is necessary to cover increasing costs of employee salaries.
The Mary H. Weir Public Library in Weirton is asking for an additional $7,938 per year to supplement the $14,000 it currently receives to cover personnel costs as well as the cost of participating in interlibrary loan programs, which the state mandates for libraries to receive state funding.
No. Ask for donors. Ask for sponsorships from the—oh, wait, Obama killed the car dealerships left in town. But…why do I suspect many of your staff voted for him? Well, there have to be other businesses in town willing to sponsor the library. Hold bakesales and fundraising balls and charity auctions. As a local artist, I’d love to donate a few pieces to this cause. Close earlier, open later. Heck, Heaven forbid, FIRE someone. How many Brooke County residents are limping along with less of an income or none at all, and not going on the dole? Hm?
No, we are not just handing you an additional $30K a YEAR, no matter how much I adore libraries. *BZZZZZZZZZT* Denied.
The Brooke County Parks and Recreation Department has asked for a $15,000 annual increase, a reduction from its original request of $30,000, to balance its operating budget. The department’s representative noted the parks have declined to raise the fees they charge the public despite rising operating costs.
Excuse me? You want to charge those not utilizing services for said services, when you could easily raise fees? Raise the bloody fees. Good grief, this one is easy.
Nor does your halving the request garner you points. *BZZZZZZZZZT* Denied.
The Brooke County Health Department is asking for an annual increase of $10,000 to support the free and discounted services the department provides, such as public speaking, first aid classes, cancer screening and communicable disease investigation.
Um…then un-discount the services. Charge a little more. Hold fish fries…er…bake sales…er…tofu bakes. But ten grand a year in this economy? Sorry. *BZZZZZZZZZT* Denied.
Brooke County’s West Virginia University Extension office is requesting an increase of $5,000 per year to cover increasing travel costs related to the free educational services they provide.
Well…much as I love the services provided by the Extension office…and it is only $5,000….No. Sorry. Tough times. Maybe hold more plant sales? Bake sales? Parties? Ask for some grants? Garden walks? Being something so cool as the Extension office, you actually have it pretty easy when it comes to fundraising. There are all sorts of fun things y’all can do. We love you, we appreciate you, but sorry. We can’t afford it. And as my Amazon.com purchase history attests, I may love you even more than the library. That’s quite remarkable.
*BZZZZZZZZZT* Denied.
Nice tomatoes, though!
About the only thing I really do not mind paying for are the volunteer fire departments. These I consider a necessity, a fair and reasonable thing residents can be asked to pay for (but they’re not asking, at least not at this time). I’d prefer that they be privately funded, of course, but a little at a time (and when they have carwashes, I do try to roll the Chevy on in).
Much of this just seems to be lack of creativity in fundraising and budgeting, to say nothing of an apparent unwillingness to cut when it hurts, despite an obviously foundering economic situation.
Slamming a 12% levy onto the taxpayers of this county is absurd at this time, particularly for things that, nice as they are, cannot be considered among the necessities of life and community, not when such things can be cut back (GASP!) or financed in another fashion. This, my friends, after some panhandle residents had to listen to radio spots featuring high school coaches telling us that for the “price of a pizza every month”, our sports teams could remain separate, instead of, oh no, having to consolidate schools, if only we’d vote yes on some absurd levy. Give me a break! (Please.)
Brooke County residents are cutting back on their daily expenses and even necessities while still looking to see if their neighbors need help, beginning to leave early-season homegrown veggies on each other’s porches, and faithfully dropping things off at churches, the Salvation Army, and Goodwill while we watch more jobs being lost in our own town. If we have to cut back, so do you. It is uncomfortable business for all. Deal with it.
Stop taxing us. The tea parties are not just aimed at Washington.
And let me remind you: local government types are not all that difficult to remove from office for replacement.
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