To the editor:

When our elected officials want money for projects, taxes usually get raised. When sales taxes are raised, you make a choice to buy or not. There is no choice with property taxes. With sales tax revenue going down, raising property taxes is guaranteed revenue. Voters passed both school bonds. Now the school board wants to raise property taxes. K-12 education is getting very expensive.

Why is so much time, land and building space devoted to teaching leisure-time activities in schools? The May 28 Saturday Column asked, “Who will say ‘enough is enough’ spending on college sports?” I am asking the same question about sports at junior high and high school levels. We have track fields and tennis courts at junior highs, with at least 11 sports-related activities at the high-school level.

My second question is why our county commissioners want a new building constructed, speculating that a bioscience company might be interested and hire staff for the project. Property taxes will again be raised. By increasing the tax burden, low-income families and seniors with fixed incomes will be choosing between food, medicine and paying higher property taxes to keep their home. Elected officials need to understand that people are running out of money. Speak out or they won’t understand that you have a problem.

Scott Henderson,

Lawrence