Where is our tax money going

Author(s):

Section: To The Editor
Date: October 4, 2006
Publication: The Herald Journal (Logan, UT)

To the editor:

One of the best articles I have read recently was in the Herald Journal on Sept. 21, 2006, by Adam Benson. It was the headline too, and on the front page. Thanks for providing us the information we have all wanted to see about how our taxes are being spent. It was nice to see that some cuts are being made, and I must add, I did say cuts rather than another increase as we have seen lately; surtaxes and general increases in our taxes and utilities, pay raises for city employees, et aI, etc. etc. etc. Now what I hope to see in the future are more articles by the one referenced above, but in other areas such as the following.

What about the more than one-half million dollars a year for the golf course south of town; aquatic facilities in the city park area, money largely wasted with funds collected from the rats (sic), RAPZ tax collected whenever we can find a dollar or so to eat out. Let us know if all city workers such as firemen, police et aI, receive money for uniforms, upkeep of uniforms, retirement and pension funds paid by the city and many other areas in which money comes from city funds. I've even heard about a new clubhouse at the Logan River Golf Course. I am sure there are many that don't know the amounts that actually are given away to various groups and organizations by the city, but all of it comes from our tax dollars. I think it is past time for the city to come clean with the facts as to how much and to whom it is giving funds from city taxes.

I am not only referring to the city, but we also need information about the same giveaway programs that the county engages in.

Thanks Herald Journal for the excellent article about how much money the city is giving to the Cache Valley Center for the Arts. More than $3,000,000 per year is a lot of gifting. It seems to me that the user of these facilities that receive such large amounts of money should be paying for them rather than passing the costs on to taxpayers. No doubt they too are taxpayers, but they may be able to afford these kinds of activities more than I can in paying taxes to help support them.

I am asking both the city, county and The Herald Journal to dig deeper into these matters and give us the real facts on how much we are really paying to keep them going. Maybe taxpayers would not be so happy about it if they really knew the true costs of providing them to the public.

Lloyd I. Holmes

Logan