Rainy Day Fund raids worry Haywood man
Published: April 23, 2009
Editor:
I congratulate the Madison County Board of Supervisors for holding taxes essentially at last year’s levels. That was both wise and much-needed, as tough economic times bear down.
But I have some bad news too. There will likely be little or no increase in Social Security benefits in the future years — because the core inflation rate is very low and that is what the federal government bases SS payment increases on. Many of Madison’s seniors who depend on Social Security will find it harder to cover rising fuel costs, healthcare and other expenses — including local taxes.
Our nation’s dismal economic situation may (or may not) be “bottoming out” — but “bottoming out” doesn’t necessarily mean “moving back up.” My sense is that we will be in this “trough” for years. That, too, will stress seniors and most families in Madison.
Unemployment and under-employment, already a significant problem for some, is likely to increase and will push a certain number of Madison families currently “getting by” into serious trouble.
Given all this, seniors and families will continue to have to cut costs to make ends meet — very often well past anything that could be called comfortable.
Government needs to do the same sort of cutting — and the supervisors have made a good start. But it is disheartening to read that the supervisors are setting the stage to raid the “rainy day” fund. Doing so is a back-door way of not keeping to our current, supposedly-no-increase budget. Using the fund guarantees that Madison’s hard-pressed taxpayers will be forced to rebuild that fund in the near future — which means higher taxes on the way.
There really is only one on-going answer — to view the current budget as the absolute maximum that will be spent. And to start looking long and hard at how to further cut next year’s budget.
We should all ask each current supervisor (and every supervisor candidate) to make a public pledge about where he stands on the next budget and beyond. Will he promise to lower taxes further in these tough times? Or will he force us to pay more?
The need to protect Madisonians from ever-rising taxes will be the issue in the next election. It’s important to ask the folks who set our taxes to tell us where they stand so we can vote with that in mind.
George Beker
Haywood
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Reader Reactions
yes, I agree with living here comments.
if you remember california with prop 13, that has crippled that state for over 20 years.making strict hard tight rules ,like “read my lips no new taxes” comment made by fomer president Bush sounded so good but it was a rash and unrealistic comment.what makes great leaders from national to local, is to look at all of the facts and decide what is the best possible solution.we have elected our board of supervisors and have given them the power to make decision for all citizens ( this is what is termed as a republic)if people are unhappy or feel that change should be made , get people elected who share your political beliefs. as for me, I will vote for someone is open to new ideas, new way of thinking and also representing all of the citizens of madison county.
I must agree that its important for the Board of Supervisors to continue to hold down the taxes, whenever possible. It is, however, not a smart idea to require each board candidate to be asked to commit himself/herself to flatly state they will not raise taxes. How in the world do any of us know what is going to happen tomorrow? A no-increase budget is a fine idea - until we find that the dollars value has dropped 10-15-20 percent. Or the state has cut the school funds another million and a half, or stopped their portion to road funds, or the other dozen or so funds they presently support. What then? Do we cut 20 percent of the wages for our county employees? Do we stop running the paid emergency squad, the sheriffs office? Lets cut our funds which are presently given to the volunteer fire department and rescue squads, the library, etc. Do that enough, and they disappear, and then who will have to pick up the ENTIRE funding for such activities? Yep- the Taxpayers. Or do we just let our houses burn down? Yes- it is a GREAT idea to encourage cutting where we can, but to require it because we are NEVER willing to increase taxes? Lets not put our elected representatives in such a positiion. You do not like what they have done in the past? Then vote for someone new, next time around, but do not handcuff them to YOUR ideals of governement. They are MY representatives too, and I want them to simply do the best they can, given the circumstances at the time.
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