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Editorial: What Have We Learned? September 3rd, 2005
Editorial: Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace August 17th, 2005
Editorial: What Is a Consultant to Do? July 5th, 2005
Editorial: Six Land Use Petitions in Play June 25th, 2005
Editorial: Poaching & Plagiarism June 13th, 2005
Editorial: Upward and Onward in 2005 May 24th, 2005
Editorial: Farewell Maureen May 17th, 2005
Editorial: Speaking About Speak Out May 10th, 2005
Editorial: Informed Voters Wanted March 26th, 2005
Editorial: Health Needs Survey Well Received February 12th, 2005
Editorial: Fire Protection, Fire Insurance and Tax Justice January 25th, 2005
Editorial: Cedar Key Health Service Survey January 14th, 2005
Editorial: New Year`s Resolution December 31st, 2004
Editorial: Do We Need Better Healthcare in Cedar Key? December 16th, 2004
Editorial: Help Defend Us October 29th, 2004
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Fiscal Incompetence? | Fiscal Incompetence?Editorial Let's review some recent history of the Levy County Commission at work. At great expense the Levy County Jail was expanded to house 173 more prisoners. The logic was to house out-of-county prisoners and make money on the extra prisoners. The budget passed September 25 by the Commissioners prevents the Sheriff from hiring enough officers to allow providing board and room to 100 prisoners that Sumter County would send us for safe keeping. That results in an annual net loss of revenue of $1,541,449 to Levy County according to the Sheriff Department. The failure in financial logic represented by the jail situation is mirrored by Commissioner Danny Stevens when he told tax payers at the September 25 Budget Hearing that the public believes there has been a tax increase, when the Commission has actually lowered taxes. Look at your tax bill and try to find a lower figure than last year! A tax payer attending the Budget Hearing could not have looked at the budget that the Commission adopted September 25 because neither the public nor the press was given a copy of the budget. After the Commission acted we now find that certain departments have extraordinary increases. Examples of the most extreme budget increases are as follows: Legal Department ......... 95% increase from two years ago to $430,994 Building & Zoning Dept... 96% increase from two years ago to $430,994 County Administration ...110% increase from two years ago to $365,000 Has the work of these departments doubled in just two years? Meanwhile, income from use of the enlarged jail to the tune of $1,541,449 will be lost because the Sheriff Department was not given enough money to hire four officers to supervise the extra income producing out-of-county prisoners. Please read the letters to the editor in this edition. It is obvious Cedar Key News is not the only entity concerned about the state of property taxes in Levy County. |
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