Carroll County Treasurer Jane Brewington told council members at last Thursday's meeting she may not have enough help to do the work needed to produce tax bills two times this year. She said due to the loss of appropriations for part-time help, it would take her and her first deputy between eight and 12 weeks to complete the task. And that clock doesn't start ticking until the auditor provides her with the necessary paperwork and after which the two put their heads together to determine a collection date.

Taxpayers will pay the price for this delay in interest payments on loans needed for taxing entities such as schools, libraries, and county general to merely operate until the tax settlement is completed. It is imperative for Carroll County government to receive tax money as soon as humanly possible to help stave off the ever-.increasing debt incurred for county general. This is a serious situation and must be treated as such.

No offer of help should be rejected by the treasurer's office. It is expected treasurer's office workers and other courthouse employees with an extra half-hour on their hands would be preparing for the first mailing by readying and stamping envelopes and doing other clerical chores to pave the way for the bills to be sent. No one should be reading a library book during working time in the courthouse. No one should be using the Internet for personal aspirations while they are being paid to work for the county.

It is understood that there are times in every job when there is a lag in time between chores. And we all know that there are times when we work a little slower when the pressure isn't on. Workers in all offices are encouraged to pitch in to help the treasurer's office.

Brewington is expected to develop a plan to accept the help offered and utilize the manpower to make the best of an already bad situation. The budget situation is not going to blow over in a few months, but what county leaders do now can affect what happens later. Private citizens might be willing to volunteer clerical services and Brewington should be ready and able to use them both before and after the collection date is set.

This is a test for the county treasurer to prove the voters did not misplace their trust.