To the editor:

It must be June – the annual speculation (trial balloons) about our taxes for next year has begun. In discussing our taxes, I differentiate not at all between that portion of our taxes resulting from a direct vote by our law-givers and the annual gift to them resulting from property valuation increases; both are tax increases. The Journal-World reporters and editorial writers seem to want to ignore the latter!

This year, however, there is a difference. The annual valuation increase is only about 3 percent (about half or less from those of recent years). Even if we add in the 1- to 4-mill rate increases being discussed, the total increase will be something akin to the inflation rate. Not a bad number and one deserving of compliments for all our leaders.

What seems to be missing from our annual dose of medicine, however, is any serious look at all the entrenched spending buried in the budget. We seem to only address the presumed new things we want (or the infrastructure we have neglected) with little visible effort to see if what was added a decade ago is still needed or appropriate or – dare I say it – affordable. After a decade of very rapid growth in our expenditures, such an endeavor by a professional group working with the city-county-schools would seem most appropriate. Maybe there could be some real recommendations on redirection or savings for our leaders to consider next year!

George Lippencott,

Lawrence