Arrington tells why he opposes budget

letter to the editor
Published: June 26, 2008

Editor:

I will vote no on the adoption of the proposed (Madison County) budget and will vote no on the proposed increase in the real estate tax rate. The reason is simply this — the board has not done what it should to bring spending under control.

Now, we have done some good things:

• Telling the school system that it must tighten its belt and live within last year’s spending levels – I agree.

• Telling the Madison County sheriff that we cannot afford to fund his requested salary adjustments for his deputies – I agree.

• Holding the constitutional offices and other supported agencies to last year’s spending levels – I agree.

Still, the proposed budget contains huge, windfall raises for our top county employees, some exceeding 30 percent on top of the 2.5 percent cost of living adjustment that is proposed for all employees.

We are proposing a salary increase for all of our clerical employees because they learned “additional computer skills” that are needed to do their job.
We are proposing to buy new vehicles to replace older vehicles that are not needed, while keeping the older, replaced vehicles in the fleet by reassigning them to other employees who do not currently have a vehicle.

We have more than $100,000 tucked away for Hoover Ridge — spending that we do not need or spending that could be delayed.

While taken separately, none of these line items, if eliminated, will make much of a dent in the deficit, but for the county to spend lavishly on employee raises, vehicle purchases and other non-essential spending while holding others to a more austere limit is hypocritical and counterproductive.

The proposed tax increase on real estate to support this lavish spending will mean that some of our citizens must choose between paying their taxes or buying essential medication, food or fuel, which has gone up more than 60 percent this year.

We know that the proposed increase will hit our older or less fortunate at a greater impact than the more well-off neighbors.

For example, because of land use, a modest home on a 1, 2 or 3-acre lot will see a huge increase while owners of large parcels in land use may actually see a decrease. Now my problem is not with land use but with unrestrained spending.

We can and must do better.

James L. Arrington
Vice Chairman
Madison County Board of Supervisors