Letter to Editor | Regarding that county levy

||| FROM RICHARD GROUT |||

If you haven’t returned your ballot yet, please read this carefully.

The mini–voters pamphlet that came with your ballot says the proposed county levy is 85 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. That’s technically true—but it’s also misleading. This is not an 85-cent increase. 54 cents of that amount is simply a renewal of what we’re already paying. The actual increase is 31 cents per thousand. That distinction matters.

I keep hearing, “The county should live within its means.” That sounds reasonable—until you look at the reality. State law caps property tax growth at 1% per year, while inflation has been running 3% to 7%. That gap isn’t theoretical—it’s a slow, steady erosion of basic services. You can’t keep cutting year after year and still expect the same level of service. At some point, things break.

If this levy fails, the cuts won’t be abstract. They will be real, visible, and felt across the community. Public services will shrink. Programs people rely on will disappear. Even longstanding community traditions—like the county fair—will likely be on the chopping block.

No one is pretending 31 cents is nothing. It adds up, especially right now. But it’s a far cry from the 85-cent increase some are claiming, and it’s the difference between maintaining a functional county and watching it steadily decline.

Before you cast your ballot, take a hard look at what’s actually being proposed—and what’s at risk if it fails.