You Are So Naive!

Don't be naive!

When any politician has a tax deal for you, politely turn it down and go along your merry way. Back a few years ago, the Greene County Solid Waste District was supposed to have a one-time $12 fee to everyone's property tax bill. The idea of the fee was focused on temporarily funding their loss of lucrative tipping fees from the Worthington landfill, which the new owner, Rumpke, closed.

That was a few years ago now. Actually, it was 2004.

When I inquired about the apparent mistake at the Treasurer's Office at the Courthouse during this past tax payment -- that this was obviously a mistake that they were adding to each of our property tax bills for several years now when it was only supposed to be one year -- I was met with this response: "You are so naive."

Yep, I guess so!

In fact, I still have the newspapers to prove that the fee was SUPPOSED to be a one time fee, which didn't happen as we all know now. (See image from the 12/30/04 Linton Daily Citizen above.)

Where's the accountability here? Why are we STILL paying this fee three years later?
I'm all for recycling, but the Solid Waste District IS NOT mandated by law as it was construed. Simply, the law requires an office in each county to supply information, not a recycling center as we have now.

If you ask me, we need to make a decision as a county: do we do the minimum required by law, or do we do a full-fledged, county-wide recycling program, which will require curb-side service for everyone to get everyone involved?

In my opinion, we either retreat to the minimum required or we get everyone involved in recycling. There is no middle ground (as we have now) because it's a losing proposition that will continue to require taxpayer support.

Voice your opinions to your local politicians. Personally, I'm not so worried about the twelve dollars, as I am about the precedent this sets. Will any and every governmental agency institute an on-going fee on us if they can't meet their fiscal obligations?

I may be naive, but I don't like being lied to either. Do you?

***
This blog post by Chris Wathen was also published in his Linton, Indiana based Greene County Daily World blog entitled, “Riddle Me This”.