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Editorial: Help Elect Cedar Key News` Board of Directors April 13th, 2003
Editorial: Cedar Key News: A Progress Report March 11th, 2003
Editorial: Mercedes Meets the Mud February 28th, 2003
Editorial: Happy New Year to All December 29th, 2002
Editorial: Letter to the Editor - Thank You C.K. Police for Doing Your Job December 15th, 2002
Editorial: Poll Results: Fact, Fiction, or Propaganda? December 4th, 2002
Editorial: WANTED November 27th, 2002
Editorial: 1,2,3,4 What Are We Fighting For? October 10th, 2002
Editorial: Do We Really Want Law Enforcement in Cedar Key? August 15th, 2002
Editorial: Levy County Emergency Management July 26th, 2002
Editorial: We Have Our Own Heroes July 17th, 2002
Editorial: Take a Little Time! July 3rd, 2002
Editorial: Water Management District Trying Its Best June 26th, 2002
Editorial: Bribery and Misuse of Public Office June 25th, 2002
Editorial: Police Officer`s Improper Conduct Case Fades Away June 24th, 2002
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Blue Pencil Needed on Levy County Budget | Blue Pencil Needed on Levy County BudgetEditorial 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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