Haywood man to officials: Do your job

Editor:

I am both disheartened and disgusted by the report that our board of supervisors is considering yet another tax rate increase. I find little solace in the promise that the tax increase won’t be “too” big.

I have a different suggestion for our elected representatives and for all Madison taxpayers to consider. I suggest that we demand that there is no increase. In fact, I suggest a decrease, maybe five percent, in the rate for the coming year.

This must be done. The current financial crisis cannot be solved by taking dollars from the “rainy day” fund. We’ll have to pay them back in the future.
And it won’t come from bringing in new businesses. All that “development” does is increase the need for schools and extra programs of all sorts down the road. No, the real answer is more direct – cut costs.

And there are costs to cut. Madison’s taxpayers are paying some very steep dollars for some of our public “servants” — several of whom make far more than most of Madison’s taxpayers who are forced to support them.

I believe that the supervisors need to find the backbone to turn, for example, to school Superintendent Brenda Tanner (who costs taxpayers more than $128,000 a year in salary, benefits, annuity, and mileage reimbursement) and to County Administrator Lisa Robertson (who costs us more than $120,000) and say, “It’s your job to make the budget work with a five percent decrease. If you can’t do it, we’d like your immediate resignation so we’ll find someone else who will make the numbers work.”

The same request should be made of the head of every other department in Madison — “Make it work or please leave so we can find someone who will.”
Who knows, if one or more of these well-paid folks leave, we might even get comparable talent at a lower cost. My guess is there are plenty of good people out there willing to work hard and for less.

All across this nation, businesses and families have been forced to find ways to do with less this year than last. It’s time that Madison’s board and our well-paid public “servants” do the same.

If not, they may find the public will elect a bunch of new faces who will finally make the hard decisions that must be made.

George Beker
Haywood