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Letter to the Editor:
Geauga Park District should be funded solely by private donations, grants, etc., NOT tax dollars...
Why are we paying the majority of our tax dollars to fund the Geauga Park District, while vital services such as education, safety, family and children services are struggling financially?
Jeffrey Firschkorn, News Herald wrote, "The Geauga Park District is pocketing two larger voter-approved Clean Ohio grants worth a total of $884,000... to acquire Grandview Golf Course and to purchase 114-acre Welton's Gorge in Burton". "Additional funding for the purchase of both properties is being sought."
At every single election we are asked to increase our taxes while
the Geauga Park District enjoys a $5,000,000 million dollar
surplus and awards themselves excessive raises.
It is time to restructure our taxing system to provide support for
vital communityservices. The Geauga Park District should be
funded by private donations, charitable contribution and grants,
not with hard earned tax dollars.
Judy K. Zamlen-Spotts
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We couldn't agree with you more Judy!
Th Geauga Park District takes a lions share of Geauga County tax money and doesn't provide one single critical service to us.
In these tough economic times, where all budgets are shrinking,  all other struggling county departments are forced to cut back, freeze hiring, slow down or stop advancement, possibly cut back services, and freeze salaries while the Park District is wallowing in money  , giving lavish pay increases, and buying more tracts of land at about a million dollars a pop....not to mention depriving Geauga County of even more money as these tracts of land are then taken off the property tax rolls, which means tax money is no longer comming in from them....but all of you are still paying property tax on the previously higher values of your homes which are now worth less....did your property taxes go down to coincide with the economic devaluation of your homes? NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Tough economic times are all the more reason we need to have enough money for gov departments that provide criticle services, NOT BIRD WATCHING!!
For instance, Sheriff departments in surrounding counties are laying off deputies for lack of money. We can't allow that! We especially need to keep the Sheriff department strong. They provide us with some of the most critical services....even more so in hard times or catastrophic circumstances when criminals from inner city areas are more likely to come out this way to steal, burglarize, murder, invade your home, etc.
The Sheriff also has the power to protect us from out of control federal agencies that act un-constitutionally.
One great way to free up a serious amount of money and have more to keep critical services intact is by dissolving the Geauga Park District. There is a section in the Ohio Revised Code that provides for this.
That doesn't mean the park disrict won't exist anymore, it only means that it will no longer be a political sub-division taking our tax money....it will subsist on private donations only. This also has another benefit to us all.... they will have to stop abusing and mistreating people or they won't get any money! You will see their arrogance and attitude of "we don't answer to anyone" dissapear.
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