PUBLIC VIEWPOINT: Property Owners Within Boundaries Overtaxed

I am grateful for John Lifer’s comments within his letter titled “Seeking Good Stewards” on the Tuesday, June 18, Opinion page.

I’m also regularly amazed when I learn that the many taxing authorities have “unspent” dollars remaining following their fiscal years ending. Their administrative bodies assert their fiscal diligence was the result of conservative spending.

Often, the leadership will then declare that their “success” will permit new spending opportunities. And, their fiscal diligence will

Their prowess is misplaced and undeserved. They have simply overtaxed. Sure, they stayed within their approved budgetary goals; however, these approved spending amounts are often inflated and would never be intended to be spent in the first place.

And, the result enables them to arrogantly commit their “riches” to expenditures which often escape proper public/media scrutiny.

I suggest that the public’s best interests are served when spending budgets are vigorously challenged (and hidden spending agendas exposed to the light of day) and then approved, beginning and year end cash balances examined for code requirements; then, legitimate tax levies could be set.

Let’s encourage our taxing bodies to make every effort to have less money left over for new spending. Then, and only then, should we, the taxpayers, be asked to fund for wage raises, equipment purchases, benefit expansions, building improvements/enlargements, etc.

BILL GOLBUFF

Fayetteville

Enable them to do so with out new, higher taxes.

I respectively submit that property owners within the boundaries of the various taxing authorities have already been overtaxed.

Their dollars have provided the funding for the approved spending budgets. Those dollars should not be available for new spending notions.

The authorities pride themselves with generating “reserves” beyond Arkansas Code requirements. My suggestion is that their pride and sense of fiscal competency is misplaced.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 06/22/2013

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