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Editorial: Timely Guest Editorials & Letters Are Welcome May 14th, 2010
Editorial: But He Wasn`t Taking His Meds April 24th, 2010
Editorial: Editorial: Earth Day 2010 April 20th, 2010
Editorial: Editorial: New Cross-Florida Canal? April 5th, 2010
Editorial: Editorial: State of the Birds March 31st, 2010
Editorial: Editorial: Our Members Are Vital to Our News Mission March 6th, 2010
Editorial: Editorial: Follow the Money January 21st, 2010
Editorial: Editorial: Thanks to All January 14th, 2010
Editorial: 2009 In Review January 10th, 2010
Editorial: Editorial: Concussion in Athletes Deserves More Attention December 13th, 2009
Editorial: Editorial: Thanksgiving 2009 December 1st, 2009
Editorial: Editorial: Domestic Violence Affects All of Us November 13th, 2009
Editorial: The Obscenity Conundrum November 6th, 2009
Editorial: Editorial: The Obscenity Conundrum October 30th, 2009
Editorial: Cedar Key 2009 Seafood Festival October 9th, 2009
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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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