Are you a glass half-full or glass half-empty kind of person? Many things are a matter of perspective, but perhaps none more so than local property taxes.

The issue has always been a double-edged sword and you will appear to get cut if you look at it the wrong way.

The Lawrence County Auditor's Office is preparing to send out the tax bills. This year the figures for all 52,000 pieces of property have been updated for the first time in six years.

Assessments are based of

the condition of the property, square footage of the house, property size and sale price, if the property sold recently. Tax rates are based on 35 percent of true value.

The good news: On the average, residential property value in Lawrence County increased by 10 percent. The bad news: It will cost property owners more.

So, your property is worth more but you will have to pay more each year. Whether this is good news or bad news, all depends on how you look at it.

Everyone wants their property to be more valuable but most are not quite as enthused when their annual tax bill goes up.

The recent adjustment also revealed a silver lining that is also a matter of perspective. Of Ohio's 88 counties, Lawrence County ranked dead last in annual per capita tax rates. This means that the county has the cheapest tax rates in the state.

Statewide, taxes have increased 63.9 percent over the last 10 years, while in Lawrence County, taxes have increased by only 31 percent during the same 10-year period.

See, we are a bargain just waiting to be found.

While the pessimists may look at this as yet another example of how the county is going down the tubes and how there is nothing of value here, we prefer to look on the bright side.

These figures mean that Lawrence County is the most economical place in the entire state for business to locate. Our leaders need to take these statistics, run with them and make them work for our benefit.

Truly, the glass is half-full. And it was bought on sale.

Let's stop keeping it a secret and let the word out.