Let’s set the record straight about the tax issue in Enterprise. The city council voted in a half-cent sales tax on March 4, 2008. The half-cent sales tax is fair to everyone because if you don’t have money to spend, you won’t buy.

I am not against the city building the new schools. We must have the schools for the children of Enterprise to attend. What I am concerned about is the amount of money spent for the new school to be built. I don’t think the school board, the city council and anyone else who agreed to the price for the two schools were realistic about where the money would come from.

They should build according to the funds available. The city council and school board decided to put an additional 3.5-mill tax on the property owners. If they need more funds, then let everyone pay by raising the sales tax another half-cent. The two new schools to be built were priced according to what was in them. There are a lot of things in them that are nice to have but are not necessities.

The economy is in the toilet and the cost of living is out of sight. Every thing is going up — grocery prices, insurance, doctor bills, prescriptions and gas prices — and now the city council wants another tax. I wonder how many council members live on fixed incomes. Retired people live on a fixed income and, lately, the “out-go” is more than income.

Leaders in the city of Enterprise say ours is a city for retired people but they don’t understand retired people live on a budget and we don’t want any more taxes. I am not against the schools being built, I am against the way they want to pay for them.

Ted Watson
Enterprise