Taxing issues

Dear editor:

Revenue to Putnam County has grown by about 28 percent since 2020. In addition, the county has benefited from a multimillion-dollar windfall from the American Rescue Plan (ARP). As a result of this good fortune, Putnam County has been able to invest in a number of improvements, notably in Public Safety, Personnel, Public Works, and Recreation. Add to that, minimal decreases in property tax rates and you’ve got a pretty good story.

Turns out, however, although revenues to the county have grown faster than any four-year period I’m aware of, expenditures have grown even faster. The increase in spending over the same term is proposed to be 52 percent.

The actual numbers seem to be as follows:

• 2020 revenue $18,632.671/expenditures $16,344,000.

Nice job to whoever wrote that budget;

• 2023 (projected) revenue $23,949,627/expenditures $24,850,000 as proposed. In addition to a tax increase, the proposed 2022 Budget also requires $900,000 taken from general fund savings.

To the Board of Commissioners: Please balance the 2020 budget by reducing spending and utilizing a portion of the fund balance in order to return our property tax to the roll-back rate.

Thank you, Alan Foster (Mr. Foster is an incoming elected county commissioner – Editor)