It’s about that time when the tax bill arrives. This year, many property owners in the county will not be pleased to see the amount due higher than last year this time. Let’s take a moment to consider what we’re getting for our money.
No one likes a high tax bill. Here at the Tribune, we do our best to keep readers informed on what is happening in our local government, and over the year, we’ve seen a lot of good people working hard to make sure our little corner of the planet continues to be a great place to live. We’ve also seen some people sent on their way who were not keeping taxpayers’ best interests at heart.
We’ve seen progress in some areas, with improvements to our city parks, many at least partially funded through grants or fundraising efforts from civic clubs, but all with the assistance of city and county workers. We’re seeing county roads maintained, and our schools continue to provide a good education to our kids despite a deficiency of funding from the state.
People who have devoted many years to serving us have managed to retire, and new people have been hired to fill their places and keep things going. New efficiencies have been found and implemented in many areas in local government and our schools.
Our police and fire departments have continued to have good equipment and adequate training, and our courts continue to operate, allowing the wheels of justice to turn.
It all takes money. If any of those services were to cease, our home would not be quite so nice as it is now. With this in mind, perhaps we can all allow the spirit of the season to enter our hearts, and we can feel good about where and how we live.
There will doubtless be changes in our near future. But there are many good people who will continue to do what they can to keep things moving as smoothly as possible during that time. This is something to keep at the forefront of our minds as we move into the cold days of winter.