To the Editor:
In the Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011, edition of The Free Press Standard I read that our commissioners intend to use bonus money from an oil and gas lease for capital improvements. Included in those capital improvements is the repair of the courthouse bell tower, an improvement that, according to the article, would cost over a million dollars.
In times like these, do we really need to repair a bell tower that badly? I don’t think so. However, if the commissioners are determined to spend that kind of money on a bell tower then let’s do it a different way. Let them have a fundraiser to save the bell tower. That way all bell tower worshippers can donate whatever they want for the preservation of the sacred bell tower. If the money can’t be raised by donors then wouldn’t that show a lack of interest in this capital improvement? In the mean time, take the $1.17 million oil/gas lease bonus money and place it in a high quality interest bearing account and use it wisely for absolute needs and/or emergencies only – not wants.
If we can spend a million bucks for a bell tower, then are we really in an emergency situation? So drop the emergency sales tax and make our businesses more competitive with neighboring Stark County.
For the life of me, I can’t understand why money burns a whole in the pockets of politicians. Why can’t they learn to save and be more frugal with other people’s money or in this case, a windfall from an oil and gas lease?
Terry Menefee
Malvern, OH
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