Tax levies help invest in future

Published 12:00 am Sunday, July 24, 2011

It has often been said that the true measure of a civilization is how it takes care of its young and its old.

Lawrence County citizens will have the opportunity to provide for both this fall when they enter the voting booth.

Officials with the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization outlined plans for a property tax levy to fund senior citizens programs to be on the general election ballot this November.

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It will likely be joined by another levy to help pay for the expansion and growth at Collins Career Center, the county’s vocational and technical school that provides career training for hundreds of high school youth and adults seeking a new path.

Based upon recent voting results for tax levies, we are concerned for the future of these proposals and what it could mean to the services if they are not adopted.

As originally proposed, the senior levy would cost a property owner with a home valued at $100,000 about $35 a year. The Collins levy would cost an additional $15.

Even during these difficult economic times finding an extra $5 or so a month to build a better future and take care of those who have helped make our present what it is looks to be wise investment and money well spent.

We can make all the excuses in the world for why our county, region and state isn’t where we hope they should be.

But this is something that impacts thousands and thousands of lives — and we each have the power to make a difference.