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Hernando Today

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 27, 2008

Where Do All

TheTax Dollars Go?

I am a mother of two, one in high school and one in elementary. My concern is I'm sure, like most parents every year, our taxes have gone up, and every year the school supply lists get bigger and longer. Also, there are now lab fees for my son in high school that are mandatory to pay now. I am sure we're not the only family feeling the cost of living going up considerably this year along with gas prices and groceries prices as well.

But the salaries in Hernando County have not gone up at all. I know when I went to high school, my parents do not remember paying so much for school supplies. I would like to know where our tax dollars are going for our schools. My oldest son said he was going to need a special calculator that costs $100 for a geometry class one year. I told him we would not be spending that kind of money for a calculator. Why are they now using calculators to learn with when we didn't?

I guess a lot has changed since I graduated in 1988, but we moved to Florida because the cost of living was cheaper, and we thought it would be an easier future for my kids and for my husband. Now we're paying the same taxes as up in New York or New Jersey. I have talked to a lot of parents in my community and they feel the same.

Donna Napoli

Spring Hill

Sick Of High Taxes

I am so sick and tired of Hernando County consistently giving us taxpayers the runaround and thinking that we don't know how they are ripping us off on our property taxes!

My taxable value dropped from $626,067 in 2007 to $572,204 in 2008. That is a $53,863 drop from last year, but my taxes in column 3 said that if no budget changes were made this year that my taxes would go from $9,817 in 2007 to $9,966 in 2008. That is an increase of $149. That means that my taxable value dropped while my taxes went up. The only explanation is that they changed the millage rate to go around the tax cut that we all wanted!

When are our government officials going to learn that we want lower taxes in this county, not a bunch of bull that they keep handing us. They must really think we are stupid! How long do they think that we are going to take this?

Thanks for listening.

Al Drzewiecki

Brooksville

Libraries Suffer Under

Wheels Of THE Bus

Where else except in Hernando County are we going to be treated to the spectacle of an almost empty bus traveling past a closed and dark library? All because members of the county commission haven't yet realized that THE Bus is at least 10 years ahead of its time.

So the poor libraries that should be No. 4 on anyone's priority list, right after police, fire and schools, are being shuttered because of a $200,000 cut in their budget. County commissioners voted to put $400,000 into the new budget to keep THE Bus in operation. If egos are at stake then, by all means, let's name the bus routes after the commissioners. Let's see, we can have the Rowden Route, the Stabins Circuit, the Rocco Roadmaster, the Russell Racer and, last and least, the Kingsley Klassic. Their legacy would be assured for generations to come.

Come to think of it, the way to achieve proper funding for our library system would be to name the branches after the county commissioners. This would certainly be more dignified, imagine the Rowden Branch, Stabins Branch and so on. Not quite as good as having a post office named after you, but the voters would certainly remember who looked out for the interest of the Hernando County Library System. If it means parking THE Bus, go for it. In 10 or so years, when the county has stabilized, roll out the idea again and this time do a study before starting up the system, not afterwards.

Harry Chamberlain

Spring Hill

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