A Lie

Granted, I'm hearing this second-hand, but a friend told me she was at a meeting a few nights ago and someone at the meeting informed the group that the School Board knew the deadline for putting the SPLOST question on the ballot back in May.

So? you may ask.

Well, according to their own statements in JULY, the School Board staff had to call an emergency meeting at the last minute because they had JUST discovered the deadline to get the SPLOST question on the ballot was Aug. 5th.

I was also told they did not want a lot of time for the public to have to deal with the issue and they purposely kept under the radar until the last possible minute to avoid public uproar.

I do not know if that last part is conjecture or supposed knowledge. However, although I can't reveal names, I know the first part regarding the question is from an extremely reliable initial source and have no doubt it's true.

I do not like being lied to by the School Board.

I did not like it when they included a recreational pool for the YMCA (another sneaky way to get something they've been wanting) in their proposal for the SPLOST. I've heard the actual BOARD was blind-sided by it being included but there is more than second-hand distance between that so-called knowledge and my ears so can't vouch for the truth. Put that one in the true rumor column.

I am going to work against the SPLOST. The majority of our tax money is going to the schools. We have a bond we're paying down already. Now we need a SPLOST?

Think about the reality of adding 1 cent to the tax number. It's not just a penny, it's a 20 percent increase in taxes. Don't ask me to explain that one, my accountant is the one who shared that with me and tried to explain that it wasn't a one-percent increase, that adding one-cent to the amount paid was actually the 20% increase. There IS a reason I have an accountant! Guys are supposed to be strong in the area of math. I must be the exception to the rule.

I believe if I were to give my accountant the School Board's budget she'd be able to come up with plenty of fat that could be cut. We're all tightening out belts, let the BOE do the same.