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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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Blue Pencil Needed on Levy County Budget

Blue Pencil Needed on Levy County Budget

Editorial

The Levy County Commission held budget and millage rate hearings September 11 and 25. However, the public was not given copies of the budget, even though the millage rate is based on the budget. The result was that property taxes were increased 26 percent. That increase was approved by four commissioners, with only Commissioner Nancy Bell voting against the increase. In the absence of any significant discussion by the commissioners of the need for such a large increase, the taxpayers need to examine the budget and look for excesses, department by department.

The commissioners gave a 27 percent increase to the Administrator's Department. That is on top of a 62 percent increase the previous year. In just two years the budget for administration doubled from $179,237 to $365,000.

The commissioners gave the Building and Zoning Department a 30.6 percent increase, from $627,025 to $818,935. That increase came on top of a 37 percent budget increase for Building and Zoning the previous year. Note that Building and Zoning was given $310,000 more than the department actually spent in 2005-2006 fiscal year. This looks like padding the budget!

The Legal Department budget is not easily understood. Each of the past two years the Legal Department would appear to have spent less than was budgeted. However, and it is a big however, during the past thirty months outside attorneys from five law firms have been paid $549,320 for legal services. That may explain why the Legal Department is now being given $430,994 for the coming year. A full discussion of the Legal Department budget and past need for help from outside law firms might help taxpayers understand the increases.

There may be other department budgets that need discussion. One item in the budget that is particularly large is on page 100, where the Landfill budget jumped from $1,422,422 to $6,231,525. The taxpayers of Levy County might be interested to know the need for an increase in the budget of over $4,000,000 for landfill. One might ask, "Are our tax dollars being used in the landfill?"

The next Levy County Commission meeting starts at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 7, most appropriately on Election Day. Cedar Key News has been informed that a discussion of the property tax rate and the county budget will be on the agenda. We recommend that all citizens that want to know a justification for a 26 percent increase in taxes be at the November 7 meeting.

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