Local county expendatures

I know this may be a little on the political side, but I am not attributing this rant to either political party, just bringing attention to the way local officials handle county taxes. We have 2 high schools and 2 Junior high schools in this county of about 35,000 population. All 4 structures are well over 50-60 years old and have not been well cared for over all those years. There has been conversations for past 20 year of consolidating all schools and building 2 ones. In the meantime, they have been spending mega-millions on refurbishing old courthouse, old dress factory and other old structures in small county seat (pop. 500). I mean the total expenditures just around courthouse square has been over $100m!! And after all that local taxes, you cannot even get inside the courthouse unless you have business there. It is staffed by 6 county-Mounties that will direct you back out the front door unless you can prove a "need to know".
Taxes have also restored old falling down private structures around courthouse square that still remain empty. Someone mentioned paying for "stone and marble" in previous post, this place even has marble lining the sidewalks!!!
Oh what a beautiful school we could have built with all those taxes!!!

in all probability they did not use local taxes. they used mine and other's taxes from all over the nation. done it here as well by a bunch of wanta be do gooders. shameful waste of taxes.

The situation in your county is not unique, John. I worked in my parish (county) government for 25 years and I saw how the courthouse crowd takes care of itself first---higher-than-private-sector salaries; excellent benefits; generous percs; luxurious accomodations and comfortable retirements. And yes, I was and continue to be a recipient of this largesse.

Here the schools are their own governmental entity so they were not directly and deliberately shortchanged. The big winners are the criminal justice entities---sheriff, judges, district attorney and the lock-em-up facilities. If you haven't noticed, those people believe in going first class. All the latest toys and whistles and bells. All this for a group of people who produce nothing and who have no clearly-defined standards of progress or success. Success is what they say it is.

And, like you, I get very annoyed at having to empty my pockets and take off my belt when I go into the courthouse to pay my taxes. It's like little boys playing cops-n-robbers down there.

I did not mention the fact that the state closed a major prison facility (~ 500 bed), leaving our little town with paying off recent upgrades to sewer plant upgraded to accommodate that facility, and a few months later they built a "regional jail" right next door to the shuttered prison! And a few years ago they rebuilt a highway bridge over an abandoned railroad, then a couple years later they tore out the bridge when they 4-laned the road. Meantime school roofs are leaking, school rooms are sweltering when temperature is over 95 with all the old large glass windowed buildings.
Both county and state pay planners huge salaries, and this is what they come up with??

John...not sure what state you are in...but in most states the schools are governed by school boards...not the county so it is certainly possible the improvements you cite have been done and the schools neglected.

And just think of how nice our kids could have it if we did not send out all that foreign aid and keep it here.

Patrick, It is Virginia.... yes, I know quite well how schools are governed since my wife taught for over 30 years. In Virginia there is an elected school board, however their budget must be approved by County Bd. Supervisors. I also realize that my rant has mixed up state, county and federal funding sources, however my premise stands.... education sucks hind t*t in most rural counties!!

You need to be sending these emails to the editorial page of the local newspaper., not us. After a few years of your comments you can run for school board or county commish.

That may be the reason they need the guards at the door!

Why would the local citizens put up with deputies refusing access to a public building? As far as the new school goes, there have been untold 100's of billions flushed down the public education rat hole in the last 60 years with increasingly diminshed returns, alll that has resulted is indoctrination of the gullible, the public education establishment is a beast that needs to be starved out of existence.

(quoted from post at 15:06:07 04/07/14) You need to be sending these emails to the editorial page of the local newspaper., not us. After a few years of your comments you can run for school board or county commish.

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That's the answer. Everyone wants to complain, but no one is willing to step up to the plate and try and fix it. Run for office, become an activist. It's not just socialists, Greens and commies that can be "activists". Sitting around griping about things isn't going to fix the problem. You have to be writing in to your local paper or on the local TV station pointing out that only "those with a need to know" are allowed in the public hearings at your court house. If it bugs you- DO SOMETHING!

BTW- in my rural counties the schools get all sorts of money and are in a constant state of construction and renovation. There is no way a school needs a new roof every 4 years.