Dear Editor,
I am greatly disturbed by the circumstances surrounding Commissioner Foster’s resignation and eagerly await the findings of the investigation by the Attorney General.
I am equally disturbed by the actions of the county commission at their meeting on September 1. The commission had previously passed a budget, after Commissioner Foster’s resignation. Not a single commissioner raised any questions about the proposed expenditures.
At the September 1 meeting, the commission approved a mill rate to fund the budget which requires a 7% tax increase on top of the 21% increase in the tax digest. The Third District had no vote or voice in those decisions even though the Third District paid over 50% of the property taxes.
At the September 1 meeting, the commission also approved an amended ordinance, which leaves the door open to a potentially unlimited number of short-term rentals (STRs). Furthermore, the ordinance would change the illegal, i.e., nonconforming businesses to legal, i.e., allowed usage in most of our residential areas.
The creation of the ordinance is just a way for the county to collect a few more tax dollars. However, the projected amount of taxes generated by STRs, most of which are in the Third District, is trivial compared to the $29-million county operating budget. The Third District had no vote on the STR issue.
It is clear to me that the Third District needs a true advocate. Someone who will demand transparency, someone who will speak out even if outvoted, someone who has an institutional knowledge of the issues facing the Third District. The need is now. The Third District cannot afford a representative who must “learn on the job.”
Let the resignation of Commissioner Foster and the September 1 commission meeting be a “wake-up call” for the voters of the Third District.
Stephen Hersey, Third District Resident