Time to vote in more fiscally conservative commissioners

Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009

By now we have all received our 2009 property tax bills. Compare this to your 2008 taxes. Are you as unhappy with this increase in property taxes as I am? You can thank Commissioners Francis Jack Russell, Kenny Dement, Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. and Daniel H. Raley for this tax increase. Larry Jarboe was the only commissioner who wanted to hold the line on property taxes with the constant yield rate. We are now paying higher property taxes on home values that have collapsed.

Our county commissioners need to take a tutorial from Mayor J. Harry "Chip" Norris III and the town council of Leonardtown, who did adopt the constant yield rate for the citizens of the town to hold the line on property taxes. If the town can do it, why can't the county? Maybe it is easier for our county commissioners to raise taxes than to make the tough decisions to cut spending.

In any bureaucracy, including county government and the school system, there are always areas for savings, consolidations, improved efficiencies and cuts. Even an ordinary citizen can look around and/or read The Enterprise to raise questions on areas of savings to hold the line on taxes. For example, the superintendent of St. Mary's County schools is proposing about $2.4 million to apply artificial turf on athletic fields at the three public high schools. A proposal like this is incredulous in these tough economic times and shows just how out of touch bureaucrats and politicians can be when spending tax money. Also, drive by the old Bell Motor used car lot in Leonardtown, which is being leased by our county government. There are always 20 to 25 patrol cars parked there. Why? Are we paying too much for this number of cars to just sit day after day? Valid questions for areas to cut and save. And of course we all remember the county commissioners paying more than $1 million more than the highest appraisal for the Hayden Farm.

Remember all of this until the next election, and vote in more fiscally conservative county commissioners. Government spending and taxes are out of control at all levels of government and this cannot continue.

Joe Wible Sr., Leonardtown