Speak up or...

Taxpayers, if you want deputies and emergency personnel to possibly remain employed by the county, you must tell your county commissioners at the special meeting Thursday, March 20, at 3 p.m.

You must tell commissioners it is more important to have law enforcement officers than to subsidize Carroll Manor residents who are not indigent.

You must tell them it is more important to be protected and saved than it is to own Deer Creek Park, or the piece of property around Carroll Manor.

Commissioners have a choice. They can liquidate property or they can make the council cut the services to the very core of the county.

What other assets could they sell? How about the EMS garage in Flora? The Town of Flora has graciously offered to let the ambulance have a building.

What else? They could choose not to pay rent to house the county extension office. The county owns a 4-H building in Flora. Commissioners gave significant space in the bottom floor of the courthouse to the museum, which the county no longer supports in a significant fashion.

These and others are choices the county commissioners could make to help save your services. It is up to you to compel them to act appropriately to honor your good sense. These are tough times. And they have not come to the game yet.

Compel commissioners to insist that the area plan commission raise rates for building permits and other services immediately, not when they get around to it, but now.

They should move the area plan office to the surveyor's office so the two officials can share a clerical person given the area plan office will no longer have a secretary due to no county money to support the position.

If you want fewer reductions in county personnel, it is up to you to voice your opinion on these matters. Without additional funds, more services will be sacrificed.