From: Dennis Baute
Columbus
Our county government has a long history of working with our residents to make our community great. It gave us an awesome courthouse and an architecturally famous jail. We were ahead of our peers in getting our county roads paved. Our schools have been the envy of many others, and our zoning rules have kept our county clean compared to our neighbors. Property values have been higher than those of our peers, and our law enforcement organizations have been exemplary. Both political parties were involved, and we worked together. Our efforts as a community have paid off handsomely, and we’re the envy of surrounding counties.
Lowering our objectives, cutting budgets and reducing services simply to relieve a current deficit might keep taxes lower for now. In the long run, however, we’re negatively impacting our competitive advantage. It follows that our tax base, jobs and high property values will go in the same negative direction.
