Other views

By Staff
City doesn't need more taxes
Editor,
Clif Knight is raising that ugly issue of property tax increase again. There is no need for the increase. The remedy is right in front of their noses, and they are to blind to see it.
We don't need booze in this town. We don't need a sales tax or property tax increase, either.
What we need, is a responsible city government.
We could get a lot of things, if it were not for the blood money that is required for Parks and Recreation.
It is the most stupidest thing I have ever heard of that the budget for them is well over $1.2 million.
What in the Lord's name in Hartselle Parks and Recreation is worth that kind of money? If they would reduce the park's budget to about $400,000, they would have plenty of money.
Too much emphasis is put on sports in this town. While, on the other hand, not enough emphasis is put on the needed things until they become critical.
Why not let volunteer people help keep the ball fields up? It works other places, why not here?
If you go to a ball field in Hartselle, they have pad locks on them. That means that I have to pay for the upkeep on them, but I have no right to access them. Communism is alive and well in Hartselle.
Mike Dowdy
Hartselle
Smith announces candidacy
Editor,
First off, let me say what a privilege it is to live in Hartselle. Some of the best people in the world live here.
It is our right to believe and say what we think. I, myself, choose to believe in God and in a divine creator.
I think by the strike of one judge's gavel my right could be taken away. I urge everyone in Hartselle to buy and display the Ten Commandments.
Hartselle's people vary in most respects. We voted against the sale of liquor, which I voted for. I felt it would help the school system.
I also think Clif Knight has done a good job as mayor.
My idea is to bring a first class amusement park here to create more income for the city and give teenagers a nearby place to go.
Downtown businesses need to be in control of their own businesses. Our emergency services need work and finances to grow.
With all of this, I now formerly announce that I will be a candidate for mayor in 2004. We must grow or die, and I chose to grow.
Please pick up the challenge for change and vote for me in 2004.
Larry Smith
Hartselle
Voters should support tax
Editor,
The State of Alabama spends less per child on his or her education than every state, save one.
The Hartselle school system is no different. School systems that have the means to pay its teachers a competitive salary and offer competitive benefit packages will be able to attract better teachers and school administrators.
It follows that better teachers, administrators, and school facilities will result in students who are better prepared to deal with the complexities of an ever-changing and shrinking world.
But where will the money come from?
Today, school funding is highly dependent on sales tax. However, a downturn in the economy causes citizens to spend less and a shortfall in school funding is the result.
What is needed is a stable tax base for schools instead of one that is directly tied to the economy.
In my opinion, an increase in property tax is the best option for establishing a stable tax base.
However, I would do so in two steps. Each would result in a 2.5 mill increase in property tax. The first increase would be in 2003 and the second in 2005.
Recent history has shown the citizens of Alabama's towns and cities vote down property tax increases. Yet, these same citizens are very vocal when certain school programs are eliminated or reduced in scope.
I hope the citizens of Hartselle are different. Voting yes to a property tax increase will demonstrate that Hartselle's citizens recognize that its future, and the future of the state, rests in its youth.
Charles L. Firpo
Hartselle