Editor:

This is in response to Managing Editor Jordan Miles’ staff column on the opinion page of the April 8 issue of The Farmville Herald titled “Do your tax homework.”

I have been observing Prince Edward County budgets and expenditures for a number of years, and the following are my observations and opinions based on the fiscal year 2017 Prince Edward County budget that was printed in the April 8, issue of The Farmville Herald:

The cannery is projected to cost Prince Edward County citizens $80,986 for FY 2017, but the income to the county has been a small fraction of this.

The water fund is listed as having an estimated $301,612 in expenditures and only $900 estimated for charges for service. At that rate, the payback would be over 300 years. Most of these costs were generated by the failed Sandy River Water Project.

The current county administrator was instrumental in pushing this project through but has never been held accountable.

These are just two of many bad investments that county officials have made.

Miles suggests that taxpaying citizens keep an open mind and have the ability to compromise to have successful budgets. My response to that is it is difficult to compromise when taxpaying citizens are held accountable for waste and abuse of their tax dollars by county officials.

Logic would dictate that part of the solution to this problem would be to hold the county administrator accountable, terminate him from employment from the county and replace him with one who is more in tune to the needs of citizens.

Sam Campbell

Pamplin